


Don't Go to Strangers

by unrequitedexistence



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-12 00:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7076563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unrequitedexistence/pseuds/unrequitedexistence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Play with fire<br/>Get your fingers burned<br/>But when there's no place left to turn<br/>Don't go to strangers<br/>Lover come to me."</p><p>Kara needs someone to talk to. Cat's light is on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Case of You

**Author's Note:**

> "Don't Go to Strangers" sang by Joni Mitchell was playing and I just couldn't help myself. It's my first Supergirl fanfiction, so forgive me if it sounds a bit OOC.

Cat Grant won’t be caught without her phone. Even though answering it is far from being her favorite past time – because, let’s be honest here, when her phone rings it usually means either trouble or an avalanche of inane questions and/or requests –, she _craves_ the availability. Even though some people believe she simply landed on her throne, truth is she had to climb all the way up, by herself, and build it from the nothing that was everything she had at first. There had been a lot of sacrifices involved and she was certainly not about to let it all collapse in the hands of her employees. For some odd reason their apparent competency seemed to abandon the building every time she stepped away for a minute, causing the consequences of their idiotic decisions to start piling up on her desk.

That’s mostly why Cat Grant slept with her phone on her bedside table. Every _single_ day. Even, if not _particularly_ , on weekends. The world never seemed to stop ending and so she couldn’t afford to disconnect from it.

The fact that she was perfectly aware that her phone was exactly where she always put it didn’t stop her from jumping slightly once it started ringing. She was sitting in bed, her back comfortably resting against two pillows, a book in her hands. It took her a moment to place the ringtone, its familiarity suddenly making it hard to breathe. Someone was using her personal line at two in the morning.

_Carter_.

That was her very first thought. Something must have happened. It took her yet another moment for her brain to remind her that this was her weekend. Her son was safely tucked in bed. Everything was fine. She let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she had been holding and finally reached for her phone, placing the book on her lap. Her heart was still beating fast and she rolled her eyes at her own state of undoing. She should probably try and sleep after taking the call. She was definitely getting too old to stay up late reading after an insane week.

Even though she didn’t feel like dealing with some random stranger – it happened that some people ran into her private line by mistake –, she would take it over having to deal with yet another drunken call from her ex-husband. Her mother? That wasn’t a possibility. She was flagged as strictly business. That thought made her smile for a minute, but it was short lived as her eyes first acknowledged the unknown number.

“Yes?”

“Miss Grant?”

Cat instantly relaxed as Kara’s familiar voice took over the silence. That was until she started asking herself why the young woman would be calling her in the middle of the night. And why was she using her personal line? Something must have happened. She felt her heart starting to beat faster yet again. This was going to be a long night.

“It’s me, Kara. Your… huh, _ex_ -assistant?”

Her tone was soft and there were no traces of panic or hurry. Even though she still couldn’t stop herself from wondering why the young woman was calling her, it was somewhat reassuring not to _feel_ any kind of urgency. She even allowed herself to chuckle lightly at Kara’s little identity reminder.

“I am well aware of who you are, _Kara_.”

Cat could _hear_ Kara’s smile, she could _feel_ its warmness. The young woman was all sun, even at… two in the morning? Cat raised an eyebrow suspiciously. Even though things had changed between them, this still seemed a little bit out of character.

She had promoted Kara earlier that week, given her an office rather far from her own and yet somehow they seemed to be constantly running into each other. Quite _literally_ , actually. At first it had been rather awkward for both of them as there was a lot of touching involved, a lot of blushing from Kara’s side, a lot of half-hidden smiles from Cat’s… but they had quickly fallen into a rhythm that made them look as if they were dancing together to a beat that was just theirs. It was… _comfortable_.

“Good.” There was pride in Kara’s voice and she tried to cover it by coughing rather loudly. “I mean, right. Yes. Well, I am calling because…”

Kara was floating somewhere close to Cat’s balcony. She was still telling herself that she hadn’t meant to do this when she first decided to leave the house to see the ocean. All she had wanted was some peace and the water usually helped her think, helped her focus. _Somehow_ she had ended up by Cat’s beach house and, seeing the light on, she had decided to call, flying closer to her balcony so that she could see Cat’s face. Everything seemed easier when she could see Cat’s face.

“Am I supposed to guess why you are calling me at my personal number at two in the morning?”

The tone was supposed to come across as a mix between annoyed and harsh, but instead it came out as simply amused. Cat had already figured out that Kara was probably floating close by. She wouldn’t have called if she hadn’t seen the light on.

Even though they hadn’t discussed it yet, Cat was well aware that Kara was _Supergirl_. Once the girl had stopped denying it, she had stopped pressuring her into telling her. She knew they would have to talk about it eventually, but she was going to let the young woman take the first step.

“I am sor-“ Kara stopped herself from apologizing once her brain told her that Cat’s voice sounded everything but mad. Instead, the other woman seemed to be… interested? “I mean, I was, I am calling because I was wondering if you would like to… huh, go out with me? I mean, for dinner? To celebrate? As a thank-you, I mean? For the promotion...?”

“And you felt like it was appropriate to do such at two in the morning?”

“I…” Kara sighed deeply.

Cat instantly sat straighter on her bed. Something was up. The world was possibly not ending, but Kara’s seemed to be. The girl sounded… exhausted.

“Just come in, will you? I am getting tired of holding the phone to my ear.” Cat tried to sound nonchalant. The tone was meant to make Kara feel more comfortable; as if joining Cat inside was not something that Cat had to endure, but something that Kara had to do for Cat’s sake.

Kara gave it some thought before landing gently on Cat’s balcony. She simply stood there though. Her movements were as unsure as her voice had been on the phone.

“Do I have to get up?” Cat tried again, this time in a gentler manner, trying to avoid having the girl fly away. She had done that before and Cat had a feeling that it wouldn’t be a great idea for her to be alone right now.

Kara finally walked in, her eyes on the floor.

“Kara? What’s wrong?”

Everything about Kara’s posture told her that the young woman was not having a good day. They had had a slow day at work, though. And, always keeping an eye out for _Supergirl_ , she was also aware that nothing too big had happened. So what could possibly be wrong?

“Kara?”

The concern on Cat’s voice found its way to Kara’s back, causing her shoulders to drop significantly. She was finally allowing herself to look as miserable as she felt.

The younger woman approached the bed and sat down by Cat’s side, her eyes now focused on her hands that had come together on her lap. Cat couldn’t help herself. She reached out, one of her hands finding Kara’s. She squeezed them gently and Kara shuddered. She felt a bit taken aback with the young woman’s reaction, but as she wasn’t pulling away, she decided not to move. Her touch seemed to give her the reassurance she needed to open up…

“You know what they said when I told them I had been promoted?” Kara asked, moving her hands so that Cat’s was sandwiched between hers. _Safe_. “They said, _that’s great._ ”

“And isn’t it?”

“No.” Kara said, her voice becoming softer and softer. “It’s fantastic on the verge of being phenomenal.”

Cat couldn’t help but smile.

“And yet no one thought of celebrating. No one congratulated me. No one said, _I am proud of you_.”

It was Cat’s turn to sigh. She had to bite hard on her lower lip to avoid letting the _those idiots_ thought that kept tickling her throat come out. Again she reached out, her free hand finding Kara’s arm.

“I _am_ proud of you.”

Kara looked up at Cat, reading all the concern on her face, and then back at their hands. She ran her thumb over Cat’s knuckles before intertwining their fingers. She sighed at the softness and at how perfectly they seemed to fit together.

“You are the only person who has ever trusted me with something other than life threatening situations.” Kara was glad that Cat hadn’t even tried to pull her hand away. “Do you know how that makes me feel?” She finally met Cat’s eyes again. “It makes me feel _normal_. And hey, normal might be overrated, but for me it isn’t. It makes me feel like I deserve to be here. Not just because I save lives, but because I am making the world a better place, because I am making a difference. By your side.”

“Have you told them that?”

“They don’t listen.”

“Kara, they will if you make them. They see you as the hero who goes out of her way to save people, not the hero who sometimes also needs to be saved.” Kara closed her eyes as Cat’s hand went from her arm to her face, leaning into the touch. “I tend to find you on my balconies when you do. And that’s definitely not a problem. I will always be here for you, I hope you know that. But you have to let them in. Not just for the funny parts, for the good moments, but also for when you feel like you need something back. They love you. They will understand.”

For a moment there was silence as Kara let the words sink in. She turned her face towards Cat so that she was basically nuzzling her hand. A small smile seemed to be tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“You’re kind of great, you know that?”

“ _Kind of_?”

Kara opened her eyes just in time to witness Cat raising her eyebrow questioningly. It made her chuckle loudly. It was so… _Cat_. Oh, and so absolutely _adorable_.

“You’re the best.”

“Better.”

“No. I am serious. I don’t know what I would have done without you. With or without the suit, you _see_ me.”

There was something other than respect in Kara’s eyes and Cat found herself a little breathless. Was it... _love_? It was too late to hide. That’s the secret. If you want to see someone, really _see_ someone, you have to open yourself to be seen. Cat didn’t feel like she had had much of a choice. It all happened so… _naturally_. One day her little wall of China was intact and then suddenly it wasn’t. She had half-hoped not to be noticed at first, but this was Kara Danvers AKA _Supergirl_. She paid attention.

“You see me too.”

It was Cat’s turn to look down at her lap, the hand that had retreated from the girl’s face now playing with the edge of her blanket.

“I do.” Kara said, squeezing Cat’s hand before allowing herself to take in the sight of the woman in front of her for the first time since she had walked in. “And I am currently seeing you wearing a beyond faded, certainly below zero per cent couture, university t-shirt…”

Kara seemed to be… _delighted_ to see Cat wearing something that could also be found in her own closet. It was like the layers that still stood between them were slowly melting away, or perhaps blending together.

“It’s comfortable.”

“You do look comfortable.” Kara started, “Beautifully comfortable.” She added in half a whisper.

If they hadn’t been siting so close to one another Cat would probably have missed the words. The thought of pretending, to avoid awkwardness, crossed her mind, but she felt a certain warmth reaching her cheeks. It was too late.

_Dissipate, dissipate_ …

“You are aware that flattery is not an original technique, yes?” Cat asked, raising an eyebrow challengingly.

“I flew all the way out here to ask you out. Huh, I mean, _you know_ , to invite you to celebrate _with me_ … out… somewhere. _Together_.” Kara rolled her eyes at herself as Cat grinned openly at her. “That is _plenty_ original, wouldn’t you say?”

“Kara, I recall merely stating that flattery was not original. I never said it didn’t work, did I?”

“Is that a yes?”

Cat felt her heart skip a beat at the amount of hope that the simple question emanated. There was something other than complicity in the air, something both thrilling and frightening. There were a lot of unsaid things surrounding them and Cat wondered if her one requested yes would be enough to answer them all. And was she ready to say it? For a moment she faltered…

“I don’t see why not.”

She regretted her poor choice of words the moment they left her lips and seemed to slap Kara. The young girl had gone out of her way to ask her out and she was playing it hard. Actually, she was avoiding giving it all the meaning she wanted it to have.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Kara. I _want_ to, okay?”

Kara seemed to be finally starting to relax, as if Cat’s _yes_ had lifted all the weight that had been set upon her shoulders. If that was all she had to do to help the young girl, she would go on saying _yes_. Truth be told, she wanted to carry on saying _yes_ for her own sake, but was it wise?

Cat could feel the train wreck at the end of her line of thought. She was already bracing for impact when she felt herself being gently pulled forward as two strong arms wrapped themselves around her thin frame. She expected her surprise to come across as a slight flinch, but her body seemed to have other plans as it instantly melted under the young girl’s touch. She closed her eyes and sighed, her head resting against Kara’s shoulder until she started pulling away.

“Are you… reading Harry Potter?”

Cat blinked a couple of times. Her body was missing Kara’s warmth and her brain was taking its time to adjust.

“Oh.” She glanced down at the book that remained on her lap. “Carter wants to have a movie marathon this weekend. He said that I _must_ read the books first, though. So here I am, reading the last one on a Friday night.”

Kara smiled warmly, reaching out for the book as if it were one of her most significant treasures. Cat couldn’t help but notice how much her posture had changed since the moment she had first walked in. She now looked perfectly _at home_. It was… _endearing_.

“Alex used to read them out loud for me.” Kara said as she let her fingers run through the pages until she reached the one where Cat had stopped, where she had interrupted her.

“Must have been lovely...”

Kara nodded, her eyes still on the words that decorated the paper with magic. She suddenly had an idea. It was the least she could do, right? After having basically barged in.

“Do you want me to… read for you?”

Cat almost blurted out yet another yes. Instead, though, she decided to offer a gentle way out, just in case she had somehow cornered Kara into this.

“Don’t you millennials usually save Friday nights for fun with friends?”

“Cat. It’s _Harry Potter_.” Kat said matter-of-factly, causing Cat to shake her head as she laughed softly. “Besides, you’re a friend. So I am covered.”

“Fair enough. Then I would be delighted. It improves my chances of finishing in time rather significantly.” Cat said as she moved a bit to the side so that Kara could lie down next to her. The smile she received in return for her answer felt like yet another incentive for her to go through with her _say yes_ theory.

Kara removed her boots and cape before lying down by Cat’s side. She wrapped an arm around Cat’s shoulders, inviting her to basically cuddle her side. She did it without even thinking, only noticing when Cat accepted the silent invitation without giving it a second thought. It was incredible how natural it all felt. Kara made a mental note to wonder about it later before opening the book.

“Ready?”

“ _Yes_.”


	2. You're My Thrill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're my thrill  
> You do something to me  
> You send chills right through me  
> When I look at you  
> 'Cause you're my thrill."
> 
> The phone rings. Cat wakes up in Kara's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow. I was not expecting such wonderful feedback. I don’t know what to say. You have made my day with your comments and kudos. Thank you so much. Really. It means the world to me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this second chapter. I am definitely going down with this ship. Sigh.

The first thing Cat Grant noticed was the warmth. It felt as if she had been enveloped in a warm blanked made of the first rays of sun. It was not overwhelming, it was certainly not underwhelming, it was just _right_ , _the_ perfect temperature. Not only did she feel extremely comfortable, her limbs seemed, for the first time in forever, to be well rested. She sighed contently before the noise that had first woken her took over the silence once again.

She gave herself enough time to stretch, her eyes still closed, before reaching out for her phone. Whoever was calling her business line on a Saturday morning could definitely wait a few moments. If they gave up, hung up and didn’t call back, she would simply flag the incident as not having been serious enough. Her employees were well aware she was not one to return calls, unless it was something personal, so they knew that if it was truly urgent, calling her insistently would drive her insane but would also get her to answer.

It was during the process of stretching that she realized that her head hadn’t been lying down on a pillow. She was suddenly tremendously aware of the heartbeat playing directly into her left ear and the arm that stood protectively around her waist.

She surprised herself by not jumping out of bed immediately. It seemed that even her mind was fully relaxed, deciding on not panicking. She took a deep breath before opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was the book. She instantly smiled as Kara’s voice connected the dots in her head – “Cat. It’s _Harry Potter_.”

She found herself considering ignoring her phone so that she could enjoy the peacefulness of the moment, the calm and wonder that Kara seemed to emanate while sleeping. She reached out, careful not disturb the younger woman’s sleep, and moved a loose strand of hair away from her eyes. She sighed deeply before untangling herself, immediately missing the warmth and comfort and cursing whoever was calling her.

“What?” She barked quietly – you might be wondering how this can be a thing, but trust me, Cat Grant can make the impossible sound possible – so that she didn’t wake Kara, but sturdily enough so that her anger and annoyance came across loud and clear.

The first thing James noticed was that even though there was already venom in Cat’s voice, there was also something husky about her tone that made him wonder if he hadn’t just woken his boss on a Saturday morning by calling her. _God help me_ , he thought. He checked his watch, just making sure he hadn’t inadvertently called her at an ungodly hour. It was almost eleven. He found himself raising an eyebrow. For some reason he couldn’t imagine her getting up any later than six in the morning. Had his watch stopped or something? Oh, or perhaps something had happened to Cat? Was she sick? She didn’t sound sick. Then again, what did Cat sound like when sick? He couldn’t remember the last time she had even been sick. Even when attacked by aliens, she never seemed to take days off. Cat Grant was always _on air_.

“Cat?”

If Cat had been annoyed before, she was by now fuming. Of course it was not _particularly_ James’ fault. Well, actually it was. He had made Kara feel miserable. Not only that, the young girl had been pining for him around the office for years now and he seemed to simply ignore it. Or perhaps he was just stupidly oblivious. _Idiot_ , she thought to herself. If only he knew what he was missing! Oh, perhaps it was better if he didn’t know. That way she had a chance… _right_? Then again, did she? She was older. _Much older_. What would Kara’s family think? Cat couldn’t care less about the picture the media would paint of her, her skin had long ago grown thick, but she cared about Kara’s future, about the young girl’s reputation. And didn’t she deserve better? Someone less… _bitter_. And more… _something else_. Someone with less baggage, most definitely. And perhaps less enemies too…

The second thing Cat noticed as she left her bed was that there was too much light outside. She raised an eyebrow as she made her way to the balcony, opening her mostly transparent curtains. She was almost blinded by the light. She removed her phone from her ear and checked the time. She suddenly felt extremely awake. She hadn’t slept until eleven in… well, _decades_. Last time had probably been before having Carter… perhaps even before she had started university! _It’s a miracle_. She found herself smiling at the thought before switching back to her bitch mode as James reminded her that he was still in line by repeating her name.

“James, dear, do you know the sound my phone has attributed to you as a ringtone?” The words were dripping as much sarcasm as she hoped to have maple syrup on her pancakes. Oh yes, she was going to go for it today. She felt like celebrating.

“No…?”

“I believe I am supposed to be able to tell whether you are asking me or informing me, but to be honest, I couldn’t care less. You see…” She started, a mischievously dangerous smile taking over her face as she closed the door to the balcony behind her. She adored making her employees squirm at times. They gave her so many headaches, suffering a little bit was the least they could do to make what she paid them worthwhile. “Every _single_ time you call I have the _pleasure_ of hearing a fire alarm.”

“Oh…”

His confusion was so thick she could almost touch it.

“So, _my dear_ , what could possibly be on fire with you being the only one attempting to call?”

“I…”

Oh, he swallowed hard. She bended a little over the rails of her balcony, closing her eyes so that the sun caressed the skin of her face softly. It wasn’t the same as waking up in Kara Danvers’ arms. There was something missing… in the sun’s touch. Now there was an idea she never thought would ever cross her mind.

“Have I suddenly gone deaf, I wonder? The lack of sound coming from your end of the line tells me that the reason why you are calling me on a weekend is not business related. And if that’s so, what could we possibly have to talk about that requires a call flagged down as of the uttermost importance?”

The sigh that sounded on the other end of the line was one in search of courage to voice a particular question that would certainly push her buttons. She knew this for sure. It was like some sort of official code that _all_ her employees used. Thankfully it gave her some time to take a thousand deep mental breaths so that she wouldn’t simply explode, but instead, do it with an elegance that was as well-known as her own name. _I should patent it_ , she found herself thinking, _the Cat Grant maneuver_.

“Have you, by any chance, called Kara into the office?”

Now that was… _curious_.

“As far as I am concerned, not that I find it to be any of your, or even mine, business, _Kara_ went out to celebrate with her friends yesterday.”

“Celebrate what?” James asked from the other end of the line without thinking twice, even if it was noticeable that he had been a bit surprised by the correct usage of his _friend_ ’s name. “And did you say _friends_?”

She would have been nice to him if his tone transpired any sadness, but instead it came across as jealous and he had absolutely _no right_ to be jealous. He didn’t deserve her. Cat made a mental note to set fire to the lighthouse she might have planted and lightened up in Kara’s mind towards James.

“Her promotion, James. I believe you are familiar with the word, even if it has only come to you in dreams. It appears to be customary for _friends_ to get together and _celebrate_ each other’s achievements. Even _I_ know that.”

The resentment in Cat’s voice surprised James. Resentment meant that she cared about Kara. Speaking of which, hadn’t she pronounced the name correctly? Something was definitely up. But if she hadn’t called Kara into the office, how exactly did she have so much information?

“Have you heard from her, by any chance?”

 _What an idiot._ A now concerned idiot perhaps, but still an idiot. Cat wasn’t sure of how much she was allowed to disclose about Kara’s current whereabouts, and she was honestly not feeling like sharing.

“This is what you are going to hear _from me_ , and you should write it down.” She started, feeling the excitement of putting someone in their exact place taking over. “From Monday on, I will be choosing a random employee per day to take over the role of my assistant. It has come to my attention that many of you _clever_ souls believe it to be a rather… well, let’s say _basic_ job, as you _astute_ people seem to like to put it.” Cat was so focused on her speech that she missed the sound of the door opening behind her. “Let’s call it a test, shall we? You _brilliant_ minds like simplicity, so here you have it. Whoever fails, well… their destiny will start with the same letter.”

“Ok-okay...?”

Again, the whole asking and/or telling thing. She rolled her eyes. She had had her fun, he was officially boring her to death. She wanted her pancakes and she was going to have them now. It was time to dismiss him before he ruined her wonderful mood.

“Be a darling and make the message go around, will you? And as for Kara, _your friend_ , I believe you should be calling her about her whereabouts, _don’t you think_?”

The way she enunciated the words made it sound like she was truly asking him if he ever used his brain matter to think, in general.

“She’s not picking up…”

She almost threw her phone away. His obtuseness was starting to drive her crazy and she was already biting on her lower lip, trying to control a kind of language that she usually refrained from using in public.

She was about to ask him, at her best contained self, _what the fuck do you want from me?_ , when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She almost dropped her phone – which, at this point, she would have considered a blessing – as the hand made its way down till it reached her lower back, gently making her turn as it reached her side.

“May I?” Kara asked, a small but blissful smile decorating her face as she reached for Cat’s phone with her free hand, the other one now resting conformably on Cat’s hip.

Cat, finding herself rendered rather speechless, simply nodded, leaning back against the rails of her balcony.

Kara squeezed her side before sighing deeply and bringing the phone to her ear.

“James, it’s me.” Kara stopped, her mouth half open as if she was about to say something. Cat rolled her eyes as she realized that James must have interrupted her with a thousand questions instead of a very much deserved _I am proud of you_. She couldn’t help but chuckle as Kara rolled her eyes. The younger woman then made a face that could certainly be used as an illustration for the word _bored_ in the dictionary. Cat laughed, quickly bringing one of her hands to cover her mouth so that James didn’t hear her from a distance. Kara winked at her as if saying, _mission accomplished, I have made you smile_ , and then groaned loudly before taking a step closer and bending slightly so that her forehead was resting against Cat’s shoulder. Apparently even Kara had bullshit limits.

“James, will you please calm down? How am I supposed to answer any of your freaking universes of questions if you don’t let me speak?” Cat noticed the slight change in tone. Kara avoided sounding confrontational at all costs, but apparently James was pushing all of the right buttons.

Cat, wanting to return the favor from the laugh that had instantly lifted her spirits, brought a hand up to the younger woman’s back and started drawing invisible lines over the red and blue suit. For a moment she wondered if Kara would even be able to feel it under her _armor_ , but her silent question was quickly answered by a breathless moan abandoned right by her ear.

“Mmmh.” Kara mumbled into the phone, her mouth now turned towards the skin of Cat’s neck. “I am _fine_ , James. Actually, I am more than fine.” A shiver went down Cat’s spine as she felt the other woman’s smile against her sensitive skin. “I have to go now. Cat needs her phone back. Yes, I know her name. Yes, James, I will call you as soon as I can. Yes. Right. Of course. Bye.” She hung up but didn’t move away from Cat. “That’s incredibly soothing.”

“I thought it would be more than fair for me to return the favor.”

Cat’s neck was graced with another smile before Kara groaned again as she pulled away from her source of comfort.

“Good morning.” Kara said, her voice sounding sleepy and content again as she looked straight at Cat. “Did you sleep well?”

“I must confess the whole _19 years later_ thing is still bothering me, but it appears to not have had any repercussions on my sleep.” Cat said, still leaning back against the rails. “It was…” She started again, her eyes studying the other woman’s sluggish yet entertained expression. “Refreshing.”

“I am glad I could be of assistance.” Kara said, her pride evident in her voice tone.

Cat had to confess that seeing Kara first thing in the morning, even when wearing the suit, was quite a sight. She had a feeling that if exposed to Kara’s sunny and cuddly disposition every morning, she would probably turn into a morning person. That would be dangerous now, wouldn’t it? But also _delightful_.

Kara Danvers was definitely better than coffee.

“Pancakes?”

The open invitation surprised both women. Cat had to stop herself from bringing one of her hands up to her lips, as if trying to understand if they were still under her command. She wasn’t sure of what had possessed her – actually, she was a hundred per cent sure of what had possessed her, but was still not ready to admit it to herself, let alone others –, but she was certainly not picking up the card back from the table. That would have her out of the poker table and she was not quite ready to lose her partner just yet.

“What about… Carter?”

The fact that Kara had not instantly rejected made Cat’s heart skip a beat. There was truly something _there_. Would they ever explore it?

The fact that Kara had taken Carter into consideration before accepting Cat’s invitation made the older woman’s heart flutter. How was Kara Danvers even… _real_?

“You could perhaps go home, change and then knock at the front door like a normal person?” Cat started, trying to avoid letting her train of thought skip its stations over Kara’s adorable expression. The younger woman seemed eager to hear Cat’s plan. “And I could tell him that I invited you to join our Harry Potter marathon as you wouldn’t shut up about it when you saw me with the book at the office?”

“That is…” Kara’s hands gestured in front of her as she tried to come up with the right word. “ _Brilliant_. And totally believable. I would have certainly asked you about it at the office if I had seen you with the book.”

“I believe you were rather distracted when we crossed paths…” And speaking of paths, Cat was taking the first steps into a very dangerous one that shouldn’t, and couldn’t, be explored at the moment.

Kara’s mouth was yet again half open. Cat couldn’t hide the look of pride that now stood smugly on her face. She had, yet again, left the younger woman speechless. As to avoid further awkwardness, though, and a possible retreat, she decided to take control over the conversation again.

“Chop chop.” She said, bringing Kara back to the world of the living. The younger woman’s mind seemed to have flown away for a minute, probably to the land of the dangerous speech being written between the lines of their _light_ conversation. “That is, if you would like to join us?” _A gentle way out_ , she reminded herself.

“How could I possibly say no to pancakes?”

Cat was about to reply when she felt a chaste kiss being placed upon her cheek. Cat shook her head in amusement as she turned just in time to see the other woman flying away.

“Well played, Kara Danvers.” She heard herself say out loud before making her way into her bedroom, finding her bed already made. She decided upon yet another mental note to ask the younger woman about it. Super speed definitely made it easier, but why had she felt like she had to do in the first place? Maybe she had simply wanted to… perhaps _please_ her?

_Dangerous path alert, dangerous path alert…_

“Cold shower it is.” Cat walked into the bathroom and started to undress, realizing she had been standing in front of Kara in just a t-shirt and underwear the whole time. _Hence the closed eyes_ , she thought, a smile taking over her face _yet_ _again_.

They had an _interesting_ day ahead of them. It was going to start with pancakes… a whole galaxy of them.


	3. At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "At last  
> My love has come along  
> My lonely days are over  
> And life is like a lovely song  
> At last  
> The skies above are blue  
> My heart's wrapped up in clover  
> Ever since the night I looked at you."
> 
> Cat wants her there. Kara needs to be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for the kind words of support. This chapter was harder to write as Kara doesn’t seem to come as naturally to me. Still, I hope you enjoy it. I somehow feel like this is the beginning.

To say that things had escalated rather quickly would probably be the understatement of the century. Actually, scratch that, the understatement of the _millennium_.

When Kara Danvers had abandoned her apartment less than twelve hours before, her only purpose – besides her hidden one, of course, of which she will forever claim to know nothing about – had been to avoid the loud silence of the city and to seek refuge in the soothing rhythm of the ocean. Instead, she had found it under Cat’s touch – her hidden purpose _all along_ , ever since she had first laid eyes on Cat Grant, even though she will certainly recur to words such as _preposterous_ if one points out the aforementioned _fact_ in her presence.

She would have had to stop lying to herself eventually – she was more than a hundred per cent aware of this fact, but she would have definitely allowed it to run its _long_ course if it hadn’t been for the rather divine intervention of the beyond brilliant and stunningly astute Cat Grant.

Having the word divine and the name Cat Grant on the very same train of thought caused a real, and rather literal, train wreck – or shall we say, _flying_ wreck – as Kara somehow tripped over her own two feet as she landed in the middle of her living room, having left the window open throughout the night as she had expected to return… _earlier_ – in her dreams she wouldn’t have returned _at all_ , probably _ever_ , but that’s a conversation for some other time.

For a moment she considered never again abandoning her safe spot on the ground - _quit while you are ahead_ , that’s what they say, isn’t it? She had already had the honor of feeling, on her very skin, the definition of the word _bliss_ , what else could she possibly need? Besides _it all_ , of course.

Kara sighed deeply against the wooden floor of her living room. _Pure bliss_. That had been what she had tasted in her mouth first thing in the morning. She believed she had had the pleasure of experiencing the human definition of _floating_. The weight that she had carried throughout the week, ever since she had enthusiastically announced her promotion and gotten essentially zero per cent of celebratory feedback from her _friends_ , seemed to have been magically lifted from her shoulders. Oh, but the magic involved had a very particular _brand_ … a brand she was pretty confident she was becoming rather addicted to.

She decided she deserved to indulge herself by reliving the events of the past few hours – _again_ and probably _forever_ – before super-speeding her way through a shower and a change of attire.

Kara had woken up to the disturbing, and rather _loud,_ sound of a fire alarm. She had immediately tensed up, causing her arm, still tightly wrapped around a thin waist, to pull the body of an already stirring older woman even closer to her own – she hadn’t thought it possible, but Cat Grant seemed to make the prefix _im_ of the word _impossible_ blush and melt away in embarrassment.

She had decided on keeping her eyes closed once she had realized that the sound didn’t have anything to do with her sadly common life threatening emergencies, but with one of Cat’s instead. She had fully intended on letting the other woman know that she too was awake and ready in case she needed some sort of backup… but then Cat had moved _even closer_ to her. The other woman had reached out to brush a loose strand of hair from her face… with her fingertips. It was such an open display of affection… and Cat’s scent was all over her and it was _intoxicating_ in the best of ways and… _sigh_. Kara hadn’t known what to do and so she had played the coward by pretending that she was completely unaware of what was happening.

She hadn’t meant to pry. Of course she hadn’t, she was not that kind of person, but worrying and wondering about Cat Grant, and Carter, had become such a second nature to her that her system seemed to automatically tune into them. Her super hearing opened only a slight door to the conversation. It was the change in tone that had caught her attention and had made her leave the bed as she paid closer attention to what was being said. She had used her super speed to tidy up the bed – so that if things went south Cat wouldn’t have to deal with palpable memories –, and herself, before intervening.

From the moment Cat had started drawing what seemed to be endless galaxies across her skin it all had become sort of a blur. It seemed that not only her mind, but her whole body, had tuned into Cat’s touch and had decided that the rest of the world didn’t really matter. Truth be told, Kara had wanted nothing more than to agree, but James’ voice had still been playing in the background and it had become terribly distracting by being infuriatingly insistent.

And then she had dropped both a quirky remark and a chaste kiss on Cat’s cheek, and had run, well _flown_ , away. Instead of thanking the older woman for _everything_ , she had implied, even if as a joke, that the pancakes were the _only_ reason why she would even consider returning.

Kara groaned loudly as her brain automatically started working on an excuse to avoid the marathon she had been so looking forward to attend. She was half done with a mental novel that she would have to type down and send Cat as an explanation for her disappearance when her phone, that she kept safely hidden in her boot, vibrated twice. A new text message. If the possibility of it being Cat’s had even crossed her mind, Kara would have probably thrown her boot through the window in excitement.

It was a total surprise, though, and it brought a gigantic grin to her face, which in turn wiped away any residual doubts concerning her appearance at the family event.

_“It’s a thematic movie marathon, dress accordingly.”_

Cat didn’t seem to doubt that Kara was on her way – or perhaps she did have her doubts but simply decided to believe on what she wished would be true –, _so why should I_?

She showed up at Cat’s door about twenty minutes later and it took her less than a minute to find the courage to actually knock.

Cat had invited her. Cat _wanted_ her there. She wanted to be there. She _needed_ to be there. Oh, if only she allowed herself to know exactly how much…

“I knew you would be Hufflepuff.”

The words had abandoned Cat’s lips so fast the older woman hadn’t even had time to properly taste them. Her eyes had met the yellow of Kara’s tie and she had just blurted out the first thing that had come to her mind without even second guessing herself. Time for a mental note, perhaps, darling Cat? There seem to be some theories going around about the flexibility of social filters when in the company of people one trusts almost implicitly…

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as the two women studied each other from a _safe_ – _borderline_ safe, perhaps – distance. While Kara was having issues keeping her mouth closed over how stunning Cat looked in a simple pair of black yoga pants and a loose Slytherin tank top, Cat was trying to keep at bay the mischievous thoughts that Kara’s skirt had bought up – she seemed to be clueless to the fact that her _intentions_ were available for public consumption by the way she was biting on her lower lip. Kara had showed up wearing a full uniform. There was a lot to be said about the skirt in particular and Cat wasn’t sure of how exactly she was going to keep it all under wraps…

“Always the overachiever.” Cat said, breaking the silence that should have become at least a little bit awkward… but that hadn’t.

Truth the told, the atmosphere between them was beyond charged and yet it didn’t feel… overwhelming. _Not at all_. Instead, there was a strange yet comfortable sense of… _intimacy_.

“Kara…”

Kara allowed herself to take in the complete sight of the woman in front of her one last time, in detail, from the tiny ponytail to the fuzzy Slytherin socks that protected Cat’s feet from the cold floor. Only after that did she lift her eyes, from the Slytherin crest they had been adoring and that was currently decorating Cat’s chest, and met Cat’s laughing ones.

“Were you expecting Voldemort?”

“Mmmmh.” Kara tilted her head slightly to the side as if seriously pondering Cat’s question.

Cat had to confess she had been expecting a laugh, or at least an awkward chuckle. Instead, the young woman in front of her was shamelessly drinking in her figure.

 _Were there ever boundaries between us_ , Cat found herself wondering. She could recall attempting to create some, but somehow she couldn’t seem to remember if there had been any in the first place. They had gone from being complete strangers to a high level of… _synchronicity_? Or perhaps the right word would be _symbiosis_. It just felt… _meant to be_.

But how exactly had Kara found her way in? Cat had surely not given her any sort of key on a silver platter. Not that Kara had asked for one, which made the whole thing even more… _inexplicable_. She had simply arrived and somehow taken over. It hadn’t felt like an intrusion, though; not even for a minute had Cat thought of the young woman as an invader. Kara had worked her way through her wall of China so naturally… it was almost as if she had always been there, always been part of the picture, and so Cat felt like she had nothing to fear.

It scared her, though. It truly did. It scared her how Kara had become such an essential piece to her life’s puzzle – when clichés start to feel appropriate you know there’s a problem... or perhaps it’s the solution. When exactly had their… well, _relationship_ , reached the point of seemingly no return? It had just… _happened_.

There was certainly a _how_ , Cat’s journalistic brain told her that. There was also a _when_ , a _why_ , even a _what_ and a _where_. The only answer she currently had was the _who_ and she was afraid that going after the others would take her down a memory lane she was not yet ready to face.

Truth was, Kara Danvers had grown on her and it was both exhilarating and… absolutely terrifying.

“Perhaps Snape,” Kara started, bringing Cat back from her little reverie. “But I believe his robes wouldn’t be as flattering as your current outfit.”

There she was. Knowing exactly what to say and when to say it. Sometimes she was adorably nervous and Cat had to basically drill her for answers, but other times she just exuded a confidence that usually came with the suit. The balance between the two, the Kara that now stood in front of her, was _the_ perfect balance.

“You may come in.”

Kara’s answer might as well have been a secret password because it had Cat smiling approvingly and moving to the side so that Kara could walk in.

“Wait, what would have happened if I had said yes to Voldemort?”

Cat turned to face her once Kara was already inside, closing the door by leaning back against it.

“Do you really want to know?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in a way that should definitely be illegal for the sake of Kara’s mental health and physical refrain.

Kara swallowed hard and dry. She could be brazen, but she was going to need a lot more practice to take Cat on in a face-to-face match. Oh, but it would be so worth playing. She had a feeling that this was a game where even the loser won something… and she was more than ready to offer her white flag in defeat, if that was all it took.

Her train of thought was suddenly, and rather briskly, interrupted by an overexcited Carter.

“Kara! You’re here.” He said as he wrapped his arms around her for a quick welcoming hug. “And you look so _cool_.”

“Thanks, Carter. You look absolutely…” She grabbed his hand and made him take a little twirl. “Fantastic! Quidditch uniform, am I right? You _win_ at this.”

“Yes!” He said enthusiastically as he jumped a little so that he could high-five her expecting raised hand.

"Saved by a Gryffindor, of course. How quaint."

Kara winked and smiled brightly as Cat rolled her eyes at her. There was something there, though. While Kara had stood on the other side of the door studying the older woman she had noticed how Cat seemed to have abandoned reality for a moment. It seemed as if she had been trying to solve an equation that would perhaps decipher the meaning of life. She witnessed as the other woman internally struggled with the lack of a proper solution. She was not going to give up, of that Kara was sure as Cat didn’t believe in failure. She was only going postpone its resolution, perhaps to go with a glass of bourbon on the balcony.

Even though Kara knew that reading minds would be a skill that would probably drive her completely mad, she would take a chance on it if only she could at least get an inside tour of Cat’s.

But oh well… the power wasn’t hers to reclaim so the only thing she could do was try using her other secret power… _humanity_.

 _"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter._ _Try Again_. _Fail again_. _Fail better_ _."_ Isn’t that right, Samuel Beckett?


	4. Comes Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Comes a fire  
> Firemen come and rescue me  
> Blow a tire  
> You can patch the inner tube  
> Comes love  
> Nothing can be done."
> 
> Carter opens Kara's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must confess I was only going to write one more chapter after this one. Thing is, I started writing it and I just simply couldn’t stop. So I decided to cut this one short and add an extra one (which will probably be up tomorrow). I am glad you seem to be enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it. Thank you for the support. Always.

Sometimes all it takes is _one_ step.

Sometimes all it takes is one step and it’s not even one of those that require much deliberation or determination. There’s no eye closing, no deep breath, no slow motion. It’s not a leap of faith or a conscious choice.

Sometimes all it takes is _one_ step… over the threshold.

If Kara Danvers had the power to predict the future, to _see_ the film play out in front of her before deciding whether or not she was interested in taking part, their little dance at the door would have gone… _differently_. Actually, it would have probably never happened because Kara would have been too busy overthinking the details of an uncertain future instead of knocking at the door and making it _the_ present.

We can thank Rao for having decided on keeping the future for itself. Instead of overthinking something that had yet to happen, Kara had focused on details from her recent past. Her main concern had to do with the reasons behind Cat’s invitation. The older women had seemed surprised by her own… well, _proposal_. Her expression had changed, even if only slightly, as the word _pancakes_ , followed by a questioning point, had abandoned her deliciously looking lips. There had been doubt in her eyes and Kara had found herself holding onto that. But what exactly had the other woman been questioning?

Cat’s text hadn’t answered Kara’s question, but it had at least told her one thing: Cat wanted her to accept it. And so, instead of staying home martyrizing herself, she had knocked.

Kara had been to Cat’s beach house before. Okay, perhaps we should rephrase that. Kara had stood at the door of Cat’s beach house many times before. She had never crossed the threshold, though. It had never been… _necessary_. Until right about… _now_.

“Carter, sweetheart, will you please show Kara to the living room? I will be out in a minute with the pancakes.”

Kara had meant to ask Cat if she needed any help, but instead she had found herself lost in the smile the other woman was offering her son. Cat was never as open as when she was with Carter and Kara considered it an honor to be witness to such raw and incontestable demonstration of affection... of _love_.

“Is there time for me to show Kara my room first?” He started, his question causing Cat to stop dead in her tracks. The other woman, who had already been on her way to what Kara could only guess be the kitchen, turned on her heels so that she could again face her son. “I have the coolest Supergirl poster on my wall.” He continued, a proud smile taking over his face.

“Darling, have you asked Kara if she’s at all interested in seeing said poster?”

Even though Cat was obviously trying to remind her son of social etiquette, her tone was so palpably… _soft_. It felt like the gentlest nudge towards the right direction punctuated by an invisible kiss that would have certainly been placed upon the young boy’s forehead.

“I am sorry, Kara.” He said as he turned toward her, no hint of sadness in his voice over his mother’s gentle push. “Would you like to see my Supergirl poster?”

“Are you kidding?” She said dramatically, causing Carter to instantly start grinning. “I would _love_ to. She’s _so_ awesome.”

Cat, who had been worried about the situation becoming awkward to the young girl, ended up rolling her eyes at Kara’s self-compliment.

“Oh, but she’s so much _more_ than _just_ awesome.” Carter started again, his eyes taking a somewhat dreamy expression. “She has an… _immense_ heart. She’s also smart and brave and kind… and she saved me.”

“Oh wow.” Kara felt truly taken aback by Carter’s description of her persona, one of her hands instinctively finding its way up to rest on her chest, right above her heart. “I don’t think I could have said it better myself.”

“Of course you couldn’t, Kara.” Cat approached her son and pulled him into a side hug, resting her cheek on top of his head. “I was the one who said it.” She added, closing her eyes for a minute before sighing and letting go. She wouldn’t be able to carry on doing that for much longer. Her son was growing fast – _way too fast_ , in her opinion – and she wasn’t going to be able to keep up with his height. “Good boy.”

Kara was having trouble coming up with a proper reaction. She was opening and closing her mouth like a fish, but no particular sound was coming out. She was trying to find the right words so that she could say… well, _something_ , but without saying _too much_.

Cat’s eyes met Kara’s for a moment as she older woman walked right past her on her way to the kitchen. There was a look on her face that Kara had yet to learn how to decipher. She only had time to mouth _thank you_ before her eyes met the other woman’s back.

“Let’s go?” Carter offered.

Kara simply nodded, finding herself still rather speechless, before turning to follow his lead. She couldn’t help but feel like she had missed an opportunity, but the fact that it had arisen in the first place gave her hope. Now she just needed to figure out for exactly what and when to rightly use it.

“You know,” Carter’s voice brought her back from her little reverie. “I asked my mom if she could get Supergirl to sign my poster.”

Kara’s eyes focused and she acknowledged Carter’s figure. He was standing in front of a wall-sized poster of her. His arms were crossed and his attention was fixated on the picture as if he were appreciating a work of art.

Now she understood Cat’s reaction to Carter’s question. She had been trying to steer Kara away from a possibly awkward situation. It wasn’t that bad though. Kara had already gotten used to seeing her picture and not truly identifying with it. Cat would have known that by now if Kara had ever taken the time to actually talk to her about it. They had yet to discuss the whole matter of Kara being Supergirl… and having tried to keep the truth from an already knowing Cat.

“Oh, you did?” She tried not to sound too eager to know his answer. “And what did she say?”

“Well, she said that she couldn’t promise anything.” He shrugged, as if it didn’t really matter. “That Supergirl had a lot to do, but that she was sure Supergirl would be more than happy to sign it if she ever had the chance.”

“That sounds… _reasonable_.” Kara made yet another mental note to ask Cat if she could perhaps come around as Supergirl to sign the boy’s poster.

“I think mom likes her.”

“Ex-excuse me?” And the fidgeting with her glasses started. She knew that sometimes she acted as if she were a teenager in distress. Too bad she was also the hero. Or perhaps she wasn’t…? At least not the only one able to save her…?

_Was she asking herself? Or was she telling herself?_

“I think they are friends.” Carter clarified. “Mom cares about her almost as much as she cares about you.”

“Huh, right. Yes. Mmmh.” Kara was definitely out of her depth. She was learning a lot of relevant information from the only credible source when it came to Cat Grant and her… _feelings_. “Your mother and I… We…” What exactly was she planning on saying?

“I know.” Carter said, coming to her rescue without really being aware of it. “She did invite you home on our weekend together.”

Do scratch that mention of rescue. Saying that she was out of her depth was definitely an understatement.

“I am sorry.” Kara said after a minute, keeping her hands busy by adjusting her glasses yet again. “I didn’t mean to- I didn’t mean to intrude on your weekend.”

Carter sighed deeply but then turned towards her with a smile.

“That’s okay. She’s comfortable around you so it’s not awkward.” He said gently. “Besides, you’re kind of cool.”

“What makes you say that?” Kara immediately asked, surprising both herself and the boy. “I mean, what makes you say that she’s comfortable around, you know… _me_?”

“She’s not wearing make-up, she has her favorite fuzzy socks on and…” Kara looked at him expectantly as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “She is cooking for you.”

Kara didn’t have time to properly respond – not that she would have known how – as Cat’s voice broke the silence.

 _Slytherin to the rescue_!

“Are you two quite done staring or should I just have this delicious brunch all by myself?”

“As if she ever would.” Carter said, rolling his eyes.

“I heard that. I am stealing one of your Gryffindor pancakes!”

Kara found herself chuckling out loud as she made her way to the door. She stopped Carter on his way out to lead her.

“You know what, you’re also kind of cool.”

“ _Kind of_?”

“Oh dear. You truly are your mother’s son, huh?”

“As if there were any doubts!” She heard Cat reply from what she guessed was the living room.


	5. I Wish I Were In Love Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No more care  
> No more despair  
> Now I'm all there  
> But I'd rather be punch drunk
> 
> Believe me sir, I much prefer  
> The classic battle of a [her] and her  
> I don't like quiet and I wish I were  
> In love again  
> In love again."
> 
> Carter knows. They know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this chapter was not supposed to end here. It’s 1 AM though and I must sleep. Also, otherwise this chapter would have ended up going on foreverrrrrr. So let’s stare at each other for a minute, yes? Know that I am very grateful that you’re here. Also, please take into consideration that I am rather tired, even if it is indeed my decision to post this right about now. Thank you for your constant support. Now and forever.

Silence has been known to speak louder than words.

Silence has been known to speak louder than words, but sadly not many people seem to be fluent in its language. Still defined by many as _the absence of sound_ , silence tends to be invited to sit by _nothing_. Carter Grant sees it differently, though. Not only is silence his guest of honor, _everything_ is invited to sit by its side.

You see, Carter Grant is the kind of young boy that understands why often times silence is described as heavy, even though it carries absolutely no corporeal weight. If you ask him, Carter will compare silence to a black hole. For him, it’s not the _absence_ of something, and it’s certainly not _nothing_. Instead, he would tell you that silence is an immense _everything_. The magnificence of it can be overwhelming, creating a rather charged atmosphere that tends to repel those who wish not to compromise.

Carter Grant had been witness to many of the aforementioned _hasty_ escapes, having collected most of his data while watching his mother work.

People would walk into her office, rambling at high speed, and, unless it was something pertinent – which, let’s be honest, rarely happened –, all she would give them would be silence. She would then wait, not seeming at all frazzled, but often times annoyed, for someone to counteract either by using words or by standing their ground. It had never happened, though. Not even once. Cat Grant had, for many years, found no worthy opponent, no partner to play the game.

Then Kara Danvers had walked into Cat Grant’s office praising that there was absolutely nothing extraordinary about her. Ever since that moment, Carter had found himself collecting a whole different sort of data that had allowed him to develop his very own silence/English dictionary.

Remember his _I know_? When he intervened as Kara found herself at a loss for words while trying to explain her relationship with his mother? His _I know_ that had gone completely unnoticed? Oh, it meant exactly _that_. He _knows_.

And he knew more than they both cared to admit.

“Holy sh-shazam!” Kara exclaimed loudly. She was so astounded by what her eyes were seeing that her mind skipped her usual step of stopping and taking a moment to apologize for the swearword that had almost come out of her mouth in Carter’s presence.

“See, Carter? Take note for next time. That was the reaction I was going for.” Cat said from the couch, a proud smile on her face.

“You raised me.” Carted started, his tone and posture very formal, as if he were about to give a speech. “Therefore I am by now used to being surprised by your level of epicness, mom. As for Kara, she had yet to witness your power as queen of all that is nerd, hence her reaction.”

“You are too smart for your own good.” Cat replied as she shook her head in amusement. “Remind me to stop indulging you during Scrabble.”

Kara would have reacted to Carter’s speech if only she had been paying enough attention. She was still trying to make sense of what her eyes were showing her.

She blinked once. She blinked twice. One of her hands then found her way to her mouth as she simply stood there, still not quite trusting her vision to be showing her reality. It was if she had walked into a closet and, in a very Narnia way, found herself at Hogwarts.

Cat’s living room had been completely transformed into what could have been perfectly mistaken for one of the official Hogwarts common rooms. At least at first sight, Kara felt as if she had just arrived to the school that had taken her in without questioning when her youth nightmares had her addicted to the fantasy escape.

“Kara?”

“You two… I…” Kara took a deep breath. “Go big or go home, huh? Better yet, go big at home!” She laughed awkwardly.

“I would prefer to quote Mae West by saying that _you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough_ , but you millennials seem to favor a different kind of popular… _wisdom_.”

Anyone else would have taken at least a slight offense to Cat’s words, but Kara had understood the reason behind Cat’s punctuation. The other woman was offering a hand, steading her by making her focus on the very particular rhythm of her words.

“I am sorry. I was having a _nerdgasm_.” She would have apologized for that slip if she hadn’t received a reassuring smile from Cat. “This might be the best day of my life.”

“I think you just need sugar.” Carter, the always considerate one, offered her a way out so nonchalantly that Kara had to fight the urge to hug him till the end of times.

Carter grabbed a Gryffindor cushion from the couch where Cat was sitting and put it on the floor by the table that stood between it and the TV. He then plopped down contently.

Kara considered her options as Carter reached for a pile of what seemed to be customized pancakes. She noticed that there were three different plates, the tone of each matching their three different houses. She also noticed, after further inspection, that the mountain of pancakes on the yellow plate was slightly bigger than the one on the red, and nothing compared to the basically flat land on the green.

The smile that threatened to take over her face was utterly ridiculous, she could feel it. Not only had Cat given thought to which house she would belong to, she had also taken into consideration that Kara had to consume insane amounts of food. _A woman after my own heart_ , she found herself thinking. She allowed the giddiness to reach the surface for a minute, enjoying every single second of it before deciding on saving the rest for later. She cleared her throat loudly inside her head before mirroring Carter’s earlier moves by reaching out for a Hufflepuff pillow and plopping down across from him.

That was safer. _For now_ , at least.

“As you two wasted _endless_ hours staring at Supergirl, I am afraid we are not going to have enough time to watch all the films.” Cat started, throwing some popcorn at Carter from the bowl standing next to her as he opened his mouth to speak. “No, Carter, even though it’s not a school night, you are not pulling an all-nighter. Ironically, you will have more than _enough time_ for those if, or when, you decide to attend a university.”

Kara couldn’t help but notice how Cat hadn’t imposed the idea of university on Carter. He was beyond smart so he probably wanted to go on its own, but it was refreshing to see a mother give her son so much freedom. Even though it could be all just in theory, she had a feeling it wasn’t. Cat had fought hard for what she wanted and she was going to support her son while he did the same. It was rather… inspiring.

“I believe we should settle for four. We should watch the first one, of course, and then each one of us will choose their favorite.”

“Leadership skills right there.” Kara heard herself say out loud, instantly filling her mouth with food so that she wouldn’t have to further explain.

“I told you, Kara. She’s the queen of the nerds.”

“And what does that makes us?” Kara asked curiously as she swallowed.

“You are my minions, of course.” Cat’s attention was focused on Kara and she automatically raised an eyebrow at her once she finished her line. “You should erase that Gru analogy from your mind. _Immediately_.” She said, punctuating her every word with her fork.

Kara simply nodded in response, a bit taken aback by the older woman’s apparent mind-reading skills. Carter simply laughed, putting on the DVD before giving his mother the remote.

“Kara, as _our_ guest, you get to pick the next one.” Cat fumbled briefly with the remote before the DVD menu showed up on the screen.

“Oh, you and Carter should go first. It will take me at least two films to decide.”

“I say we watch _The Goblet of Fire_ next then.”

“And they say age is just a number.” Cat mumbled as a response to her son’s prompt decision while making sure all the settings were as they were supposed to be. “Okay. Let the magic begin.” She pressed play and then reached for another tiny remote by her side that made the curtains close so that the room was dark.

“Nerd.” Kara whispered, feeling safe enough in the dark to let her smile come out to greet the world.

“Why, thank you.” Kara gulped awkwardly as she heard Cat’s half-whispered reply to something she shouldn’t even have heard in the first place. Was she even human at all? Sometimes Kara found herself wondering if Cat just wasn’t too good to be true.

The first film went by uneventfully. Even though the three of them would never have to confess it out loud, this was their favorite film. There’s nothing like the dose of hope that usually comes hand in hand with new beginnings. Also, not being the greatest but fighting your enemies and winning by being your very best. Oh, and the feeling of belonging… of _family_.

Three different people. Three different generations. Three different _everything_ s and one _magical_ thing in common. This must have been why the expression _awe_ was invented.

 _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ was automatically put on once everyone returned from their designated bathroom breaks. Cat had also taken the opportunity to take the dirty dishes to the kitchen, leaving their glasses, some fruit and their popcorn behind. She had yet to lay out the candy she had ordered from the Harry Potter store, but she decided it would be safer to do so after they had something else to eat once they finished the second film.

To say that Cat loathed the fourth Harry Potter film would probably be an overstatement, but she honestly didn’t like it. _At all_. She had been okay with the book, but the film just felt… I don’t want to say _bleak_ but I might have to. There was something about it that made her uncomfortable and so she decided to distract herself by studying her former assistant.

 _It’s too late_ , she found herself thinking after a while as she propped her head up on one elbow and openly stared at the younger woman. Who was she kidding? She was no longer young, she was definitely _not_ looking for a fling, and the only thing of hers on the market was her company – one that she didn’t even intend on selling, for God’s sake!

Sure, the tabloids would every now and then call her a _catch_. They would even go as far as naming her _Most Eligible Bachelorette of National City_ – she had a theory about these: either whoever wrote them had a death wish or their editor wanted to get rid of them and would rather have Cat end their career.

She had everything she could possibly want. The problem was that in her head she _had_ Kara and she was starting to notice that as the days went by she found herself _needing_ her more and more. It was distracting on the verge of being embarrassing. As if Kara would ever want to _be_ with her!

 _Like she isn’t here right now_ , you mean? _Like she didn’t say that this was probably the best day of her life_ , you think? Cat rolled her eyes at the mind field her head had suddenly become, sighing deeply without second guessing herself.

Why should have Cat second guessed herself, you ask? Because the sound caught Kara’s attention and they were now staring at each other.


	6. Sometimes I'm Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sometimes I'm happy  
> Sometimes I'm blue  
> My disposition depends on you  
> I never mind the rain from the skies  
> As long as I have the sun in your eyes."
> 
> Cat and Kara meet in the middle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is one word that perfectly characterizes the process of writing of this chapter: rollercoaster. This was not meant to happen, it just did. I must confess I thought of not posting it and writing another one. Somehow this one feels as if pieces are coming together, but are not quite there yet. Then again, isn’t that what’s happening to Cat and Kara?
> 
> Before you read this chapter that might ruin our 'relationship', I want to thank you all for taking the time to read, to comment and to leave some darling kudos. You're the best!

There is something surprisingly alluring about controversy.

Shall we take a look at the concept of darkness, for instance?

Darkness is both feared and adored for the exact same reason, only it is looked at from a different perspective. On the one hand, darkness is dreaded because it complicates the oftentimes taken for granted act of seeing. On the other hand, it is adored, if not worshiped, for allowing one not to be seen. The tricky thing is, for darkness to offer you anonymity, it must also extend the offer to the other participants, be them whoever they are.  Seldom do people take said fact into considering, finding utter delight in thinking of this anonymity as nothing but freeing. Truth be told, most are indeed too busy enjoying such state to consider other’s existence as a human one.

Unless, of course, they become _interested_.

If Carter Grant believed that silence could open doors, he was certain that darkness could blur, if not completely eradicate, the very existence of walls, even if just for a moment or two – which is sometimes all it takes. Before you roll your eyes at the young boy, let me inform you that the walls he’s considering aren’t the ones made of concrete, but the ones we tend to build, sometimes in an absurd amount, around ourselves, using self-preservation as an excuse. Again, all it takes is for one to look through them and the other to counteract by doing exactly the same. As they eagerly study the other, they eliminate the walls between themselves. They see. They are _seen_.

Kara’s eyes found Cat’s. They both shamelessly stood their ground.

 _Compromise_.

And so the game began.

 _Conflicted_.

Oh, that was definitely the word for Cat’s current state of mind. She honestly couldn’t tell whether she wanted Kara to proudly hold her ground or to awkwardly back away. Of one thing she was sure though, the fact that she was giving the matter even the slightest level of consideration meant that was in trouble.

Kara Danvers was reliable. That was _the_ problem… but also _the_ apparent solution to an equation Cat hadn’t even been aware still existed in her head. She had thought it to be long dead, buried under layer upon layer of post-divorce therapy… and _bourbon_.

Cat wasn’t about to start lying to herself on the verge of turning fifty though. Oh, she had tried, and _hard_ , but it had long ago proven itself to lead absolutely nowhere, hence there being no point in carrying on. It was not personal _failure_ , it was more of an… _acknowledgement_ of certain realities before suppressed by her beyond rational conscience – someone should definitely send Katherine Grant a basket of poisoned apples as a _thank you_ from the world.

Truth be told, if Cat _allowed_ herself to do so, she was ninety nine dot nine percent sure that she would _fall_ head over heels in love with Kara. _Wonderful_ , one could then perhaps say, _it is as simple as that then_. Well, not really. Cat had been a reporter for far too long to ignore the fact that a ninety nine dot nine percent is _undeniably_ not a hundred. In her mind that zero dot one was more important than the ninety nine dot nine simply because it was there. If it wasn’t relevant, well, it wouldn’t exist in the first place now, would it?

 _Rationalization at its – insanely – best_.

Cat mentally slapped herself across the face. She needed to stop playing these cat and mouse games with her own mind, and she needed to do it _immediately_. It was ridiculous to the point of having her resorting to expressions that would have put the most ignorant YouTube comment on a pedestal.

 _Forever_.

Cat had to fight the urge to physically shudder at the word.

That was Cat Grant’s zero dot one when it came to Kara. She didn’t want something casual, she _needed_ something… _consistent_.

Would Kara be able to deliver it? Of course, of that Cat had absolutely no doubt.

Would Kara _want_ to deliver it? Now _that_ was something that Cat would have to find out for herself. But did she want to? Was she ready to face the possibility of rejection? Or would she perhaps prefer to carry on enamoring the path instead of taking it and finding out if it led somewhere?

And, even more importantly, would it be _fair_? Would it be fair to ask such a thing from Kara? She had her whole life ahead of her, why should she settle for someone like Cat?

Cat had been twenty five once and she could perfectly remember the taste that the expression _settling down_ brought to her mouth. It made her think of death, of something putrid, of disappointment. Her father had just passed away; her mother had kept pushing her into relationships… and then Adam had been born.

Cat Grant, the woman that didn’t believe in failure, had run away. To be fair, she had looked back. Every _single_ day. She could be found caressing the stretchmarks left printed on her smooth stomach with her fingertips every single morning before she left her bed. If she closed her eyes she could picture his gloriously perfect face, his curious eyes, his tiny mouth from which she would never hear the word _mother_ coming from... at least not directed at her, which made it even more painful.

Her throne had been built on talent and dedication, of course, but it found its deeps roots in sacrifice, in pain that had, at some point, been almost… _unbearable_.

How was she supposed to walk into Kara’s life carrying so much baggage?

Cat’s brain froze as a slight sign of movement announced itself to her peripheral vision. It was almost as if the younger woman could read her mind. Then again, hadn’t that always been _their_ thing? They seemed to have found this middle ground, _common_ ground, where all bets were off and they could effortlessly navigate each other’s thoughts, each other’s moods, each other’s _needs_ …

Kara was reaching out to her in a way Cat would have thought impossible for someone with super speed. It was almost unbearably slow, painfully gentle…

“Mom?”

Cat savored the melancholy of a chance not taken, swallowing the residual sadness while holding onto the strength of Kara’s gaze.

“Yes, honey?”

As the words abandoned her lips, no traces of unshed tears wrapped around them, she noticed a slight transformation in Kara’s eyes. She recognized it from having stared at it many time in the past while standing in front of a mirror convincing herself that she could do whatever she set her mind to.

Even though Kara’s hand had only made it half way to her before they were interrupted, it remained strongly in place instead of being withdrawn. Whatever Kara’s intentions were, she seemed to be firm about them.

Her hand just stood there, _open,_ between the two of them, as a possibility, as an invitation… as an _offer_ , perhaps?

“The closing credits are rolling…”

Cat’s next move was one that she consciously stopped herself from second guessing. It was not a _forever_ , but it was definitely a _maybe_.

She closed the distance between their hands, gradually but deliberately, her eyes never leaving Kara’s as she did so. The other woman gasped silently, her lips parting slightly as Cat’s thumb started gently caressing her knuckles. Had she been expecting a refusal, Cat found herself wondering. Perhaps she wasn’t as alone as she thought when it came to her zero dot one. _But how could anyone ever reject you, darling girl_?

“I am sorry, sweetheart. I was distracted.”

“It’s okay.” Carter replied, reaching out so that he could remove the DVD from the player. “I know this is your least favorite.” Darkness swallowed them whole as soon as he pressed the eject button.

“Never when I watch it with you, darling.” Cat’s voice came out laced in so much love and adoration that Kara felt her heart positively swelling. How could anyone stay indifferent to this woman?

“It’s my least favorite as well.” Kara said, intertwining their fingers and giving them a squeeze. “It’s the least hopeful of them all.”

It’s astounding how the little things, so easily ignored, grow in proportion at the sound of an _as well_. Having _something in common_ is an expression that transpires endless hope. And that was exactly what Cat had heard in Kara’s voice. _Hope_.

“It’s your turn, Kara.” Cat squeezed the younger woman’s hand before reluctantly letting go as she stood up from the couch and left the room.

Kara’s brain short-circuited for a moment as the ghost of Cat’s warmth leisurely released her skin. Once she found herself free, she got back into her train of thought and found it running at high speed.

She didn’t know whether she should allow herself to dive into everything she had just witnessed or if she should simply float for now. For the sake of Carter, who was sitting quietly across from her, she decided to go with merely testing the water’s temperature with her toes.

 _Oh wow_ , she thought to herself, _if this is what is going to happen every time we look at each other, every time we hold hands for more than a second… I wonder what will happen when I kiss her_. _I mean, if I kiss her. Wait, no. I am inside my head. I can safely admit to being tired of what ifs… right_? She rolled her eyes at herself.

 _It’s not a question, it’s an affirmation_. _I can’t just – no, I refuse not to kiss her. It would be like staring at life in the face and walking away with a simple wave._

 _She touched my fingers…_ , she closed her eyes and allowed the ghost to return for a moment. _I felt my whole body tingling. It made me think of… happiness._ And the most surprising thing hadn’t been what she had felt, but that she had felt _it_ at all. It had been so soft, so gentle... Usually her body would require her to consciously accept the feeling, to _acknowledge_ it, before sort of downloading it into her system. When it came to Cat though, it seemed to be automatic. She had no saying and she honestly didn’t want to. It opened doors to surprise, to spontaneity.

 _There’s something magical going on here and I am not going to let go. I can’t_. _I won’t_.

“Huh, Carter?”

“Yes?” Even though the boy enjoyed the darkness, having a conversation with someone in the dark, when using words, made him uncomfortable. He liked being able to see people’s facial expressions and that was why he reached for the tiny remote his mother had left behind and made the curtains reopen. They both went blind for a moment.

“Oh, hi.” Kara said once her eyes were able to focus on Carter’s. “Good to see you again.” She added goofily, causing the young boy to instantly grin. “Huh, where exactly… huh, did your mother… go?” She asked as she gestured towards the door.

“To get the pizza she _pre_ ordered.”

“Ex-excuse me?” Kara raised an eyebrow at the foreign concept. She was an avid pizza eater and never in her entire life had she heard of someone preordering pizza. All she had to do was call, wait about twenty to thirty minutes for it to arrive and then pay.

“She likes to email them ahead of time so she doesn’t surprise them with strange requests.” Carter explained. “So she emailed them before you got here this morning.” He added with a shrug.

That was surprisingly… _considerate_.

“Wait, is that even a thing? I mean, a thing that happens? A real service?”

The boy stopped fumbling with the DVD cases and turned, solemnly focusing his attention on her.

_Definitely his mother’s son. Scarily so._

“Kara, what’s my mother’s name?”

“Huh.” _Is this a tricky question_ , she wondered. “Cat Grant?”

“ _Exactly_.” He broke into a laugh as realization washed over her face and she started shaking her head in amusement.

“But of course.” She said as she stood up. “If it’s okay with you, I think I might go see if she needs a hand.”

“Sure. Just let me know what we are going to watch next so that I can get things going.”

“The Order of the Phoenix would be nice, I guess.” She replied with a shrug. “Is that cool with you? Do you like it?”

“Oh yes. It’s one of _my_ favorites too.” Carter gave her one last reassuring smile before turning so that he could focus on the matters at hand which included finding the DVD in time so that he could watch a couple of extras while they waited for the pizza to arrive.

When Kara Danvers left the living room she was a woman on a mission. She knew exactly what she was going to do. Her plan consisted in easing her way into the kitchen by asking Cat if she needed any help, which is something polite to do, something that is expected from guests. She would then get busy with whatever Cat required assistance with, letting a certain comfort orbit grow around them before letting the meteor casually fall from her lips.

 _Cat, I was wondering, could you possibly enlighten me perhaps about… well, you know, about this thing that is happening between us_? _You see, it’s driving me completely insane and I am having a hard time reading you because I am too invested and I honestly don’t know what to do, can I please just kiss you and go from there_?

Okay, so perhaps she needed to work on the wording a little bit, but she was surely on the right track… yes? _Dammit_. She had been so sure a minute ago, a minute before taking the first step out of the living and into the unknown.

What if she wasn’t? What if Cat was just being _nice_ to her? Then again, she had never known Cat to be nice to someone she didn’t want to. To be fair, she had never known Cat to do _anything_ she didn’t want to. Well, she could be _fake_ -nice when she _had_ to, but even then Cat wouldn’t touch people, let alone _meet_ them halfway! She would always keep a safe distance, she would always be one step ahead or one behind. But with Kara… they had met in the middle. She was certain of it. She had _felt_ it. She had been _there_.

“Hey,” Kara started as she walked into the kitchen, finding Cat by the sink, her back turned to her, washing her hands. “I was wondering…” She froze in place when one of the many scents that were now filling the room due to the recent arrival of food caught her attention. “Did you…?” She asked, gesturing towards the boxes.

Cat turned to her, a kitchen towel in her hands. She casually leaned back against the sink as she dried off her hands.

“Yes, I did.” She replied, her face neutral apart from the slight hint of curiosity and perhaps a tiny suggestion of a smile.

“How did you…?” Kara’s plan had evaporated almost instantly. By now it was probably tickling the hell out of a cloud’s belly while praying for the chance of rain for release. “Do you mind?” She asked, her voice exuding incredulousness.

The thing about Kara was that even if words meant a lot to her, and they sometimes did, their meaning never reached her completely for they hadn’t been spoken in her mother tongue. However, there was something that Kryptonians had in common even with the humans from Earth. Above all dialects stood feelings and emotions. Those were _universal_.

“Go ahead. Second box from the top.”

It was like watching a child being allowed to open a Christmas gift before midnight.

Kara carefully moved the first box to the side, placing it gently on the counter almost as if this was some sort of religious ritual she had to go through in a very particular order. She gulped, then taking a deep breath before opening the second box and finding her favorite pizza combination staring back at her.

“How did you know?” Kara asked as her eyes abandoned the pizza, sufficiently convinced of its reality, to meet Cat’s pleased ones.

“I didn’t get to where I am by not paying attention to my surroundings…”

Kara had to confess she had been expecting something a little more… _compromising_. She would have been sad, would even have pouted, if her favorite pizza hadn’t been right there under her nose. She decided she deserved to indulge herself. She grabbed a slice and took one big bite.

She closed her eyes and moaned as the flavors of the different ingredients came together delivering a message of love to her taste buds. She needed to ask Cat where she had ordered the pizza from, because it was absolutely divine. She would also have to ask if it would be okay for her to drop her name every now and then. She had a feeling that people ran an extra mile when it came to pleasing Cat Grant. She knew she did.

“You have some sauce…” Kara was brought back from her little reverie by Cat’s voice coming from somewhere extremely close to where she was standing. Kara opened her eyes just in time to witness as Cat reached out to her face, bringing her thumb to the corner of Kara’s mouth, wiping away what she could only guess to have been tomato sauce and taking it back to her own lips. “There.” She said as she sucked her thumb clean. “All better.” She added with an innocent smile that was everything but that.

“Also, you didn’t let me finish.” Cat started. “I didn’t get to where I am by not paying attention to my surroundings, by ignoring the ones I care about.” She continued as her voice dropped a tone. “As I told you before, you can have it _all_ , you can master absolutely _anything_ , if only one thing at the time…” The words were abandoning her mouth at a pace that reminded Kara of her fingers caressing her own. “But definitely not alone.”

Kara put the unfinished slice of paradise back in the box, stole the cloth from Cat’s hands and wiped hers away before placing them on Cat’s arms. She gave Cat enough time to retreat by running them down slowly to meet their counterparts. When the other woman remained in place, eyeing her expectantly instead of running away, Kara took it as encouragement and leaned over, placing the softest kiss on the corner of Cat’s mouth.

“Thank you.” She murmured as she rested her forehead against Cat’s cheek for a moment. “For _everything_.”

Cat, her eyes still closed and her lips slightly parted, was speechless. It was Kara’s breath against her neck that reminded her that she was indeed living this, not _dreaming_ it. She cleared her throat softly but immediately cringed for the sound felt too harsh for the tenderness of the moment.

“Of course.”

Cat was about to mentally slap herself – twice in one day, she was _irrefutably_ in trouble – for her terrible choice of words when she noticed Kara’s smile, it was the one that seemed to take over every single inch of the young woman’s face. It was overwhelming, as if for a moment every single drop of happiness left in the world concentrated on this one person that now stood in front of her.

“I will see you out there.” Kara said, grabbing two of the boxes that stood on the counter before leaving the room, deciding on giving Cat some time to process what had just happened. Truth be told, Kara herself needed some time to process what had just happened. She could feel her heart hyperventilating inside her chest, as if it had been watching the kind of scene that always made Kara wonder about the reason behind the word comedy in romantic comedy.

You see, even though Kara had known that Cat cared, she hadn’t been aware of exactly how much till that very moment. Not only did Cat seem to listen to her and advised her, she also paid attention.

Cat Grant had gone out of her way to get to know someone without resorting to enquiring said someone directly, and that someone was her. If that wasn’t _it_ , then Kara didn’t understand, and honestly she couldn’t care less as long as her current _it_ remained hers to enjoy.

After taking quite a few deep breaths, Cat threw caution to the wind and made her way back into the living room with the other two boxes of pizza. Kara was now sitting on the couch, opposite from where she had been all this time.

_Meeting halfway._

Cat walked by her, their legs faintly brushing, a smile taking over her face before she settled down after giving Carter his own box.

“Are you ready?”

Was she? Were they?

“ _Yes_.”

_Let’s figure out that zero dot one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once I wrote that very last line, after twelve hours of madness, it felt like I had reached the end… of something. Could this be it, I wonder? To be honest, I have notes for at least two other chapters. The question is, do you want them?


	7. Solid Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We got a break  
> Unbelievable  
> We got a break  
> right in the middle of this  
> Hollywood heartache  
> We got this solid love  
> All around the town  
> Good hearts are going under  
> Love bandits con and plunder  
> Let nobody put asunder this solid love."
> 
> Carter comes up with an interesting Harry Potter analogy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am speechless. Honestly, I have no words. You people are AMAZING. Thank you for the support and the advice on how to deal with this damn fever that is still up and playing poker with me (it has got nothing on me!). It’s 2 AM and I feel like laughing. You are wonder and you are WONDERFUL. So I give you this chapter. With all my heart. Hope you enjoy!

“Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”

J.K. Rowling

A lot can be said about Kara Danvers’ relationship with the delightful world of Harry Potter. Not only did the beloved magical saga keep her company through endless nights of beyond vivid nightmares, it also taught her how to navigate the world of peculiar customs commonly known as society. On the one hand, learning the language had been rather easy, if not downright instinctive. On the other hand, though, understanding human interaction had been quite a challenge. Even if some of the core values were in theory shared, the two species seemed to relate to them in completely different ways. One could perhaps say that Kryptonians were given the complete set of tools to survive, just not the introductions booklet to help them put them to good use.

There had been no word for _awkward_ in Kryptonian, but Kara Danvers rapidly came to understand that on Earth that was certainly _her_ word.

When she was first introduced to Harry Potter though, her definition of _awkward_ went from being looked down on to being elevated to the state of _cool_. Even though wizardry was by then a full-on movement, Kara had found her way around the community rather effortlessly because she had come across as a peculiar, yet endearing, combination of Harry Potter himself and Luna Lovegood.

It had been when she queued for the book release of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ that she had understood the true meaning of the expression _fitting in_. Even though she had been as far away as even inhumanly possible from her family, she had shared something with every single person standing in that line. She had _belonged_.

Even though Harry’s magic had been the reason behind quite a few friendships, some having lasted until this very moment through texts and skype chats, it hadn’t been what she had craved the most. There had been one ingredient that J.K. Rowling had always been beyond generous with, one Kara had thought lost for eternity.

 _Hope_.

Harry Potter had lost his parents, just like she had. He had witnessed death, just like she had. He had suffered at the hands of people to whom he had caused no harm, he had been judged by people who simply did not understand him… just like she had. At the end of the day though, he had found his way. He might not have had a typical _happy ending_ , but he had fought for the happiest he could get. He had made it… just like she would.

So every single time someone messed with her and she started feeling her rage taking over, she would invocate the image of Harry at the Dursley’s. _They are just afraid_ , she would tell herself as she walked away. _They can’t make sense of you_ , she would repeat over and over inside her head till her own voice swallowed those of the people being not as gentle. _Don’t mind them and they will grow tired of you_.

Kara Danvers had yet to decide whether she believed in the concept of _destiny_ , but she couldn’t help but mentally attribute it an infinite number of house points, an everlasting house cup, for even the possibility of having brought her to this very moment.

“ _Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect_.”

That brilliant line right there, delivered by Luna Lovegood at the end of the film, was why _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ was her favorite. She had held onto it ever since she had first read it, having never thought it could possibly become any more meaningful to her.

Here she was, though, sitting next to Cat Grant while the older woman unwrapped a chocolate frog. Carter Grant, so alike his mother, sat on the floor, his back straight as he eagerly explored the bag of ordered Harry Potter themed candy his mother had just passed him. Once he found what he was looking for, he promptly turned to her and offered her the bag as if she had always been part of their little equation. Then he pressed play and the room went dark again. _She belonged_.

“I really don’t appreciate this kid’s attitude.” Cat muttered indignantly, more to herself than anyone else, as she reached for a blanket while Dudley bullied Harry on the screen.

“Are you cold?” Kara asked, a small smile having been delivered to her face by Cat’s comment. By the tone of her voice, Kara could tell that Cat was invested. There was anger laced with sadness, without doubt proof that the older woman’s levels of empathy were indeed not humane, though she kept them under wraps.

“She doesn’t care much for dementors.” Carter’s reply came out of his mouth enveloped in concern and affection.

“They terrify me.” Cat admitted, shivering slightly at the first signs of their impending arrival on the screen. “They remind me of my mother.”

“Now that’s a _nice_ thing to say.” Kara commented sarcastically as she shifted closer to Cat, the other woman intuitively leaning towards her warmth.

“I know. They honestly have got nothing on her.” Cat started, picking up on the irony but using it in her favor as she reached for the bag that now stood on Kara’s lap, her movement bringing her even closer to the younger woman. “To be fair, I believe I would be offending Voldemort if I compared her existence to his.” She continued as she searched the contents of the bag. “I would more than completely understand if he took it personally and came after her for somehow demeaning his character.” She added as she found a package of _Bertie Bott's Every Flavour_ _Beans._

“You could have your assistant email him about a follow up on some quote about Katherine’s wicked grandeur.”

The first thing Kara noticed was that how Carter referred to Cat’s new assistant by title and not by name. That, for some ridiculous reason that could possibly have to do with her fear of being replaced, made her heart swell with pride. She decided to ignore the fact that the boy had yet to have contact with the new member of the staff that kept being replaced basically every twenty four hours.

Then she noticed how Carter didn’t call Katherine grandma or even grandmother. He seemed to go out of his way to create a certain distance between the two of them. That made Kara feel… _sad_. Yet, at the same time, she was glad to hear that he knew how to protect himself from toxic people. That was a skill that had taken Kara too long to learn and that had caused quite a lot of damage.

And last, but not least, she noticed how swiftly he had conjured the plan to have Voldemort gain interest in eliminating his grandmother, at least by title, by making her a threat. It was clever. Kara only hoped that it wasn’t death that was crossing his mind, but perhaps some magical way of getting some humility into her body.

“A girl can dream.” Cat replied with a sigh, her head coming to rest on Kara’s shoulder as the younger woman wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders.

“There are more positive things to dream about, don’t you think?” Kara whispered against Cat’s hairline.

“Yes. Perhaps even as gratifying.”

Kara, who had been expecting some bravado as a reply, found herself enjoying this side of Cat. There was a harmonious balance about her at home, especially when with Carter. One could perhaps assume her to act all mighty in front of her son, but instead she became his hero by stripping down to exactly who she was. It was… _breathtaking_.

If Kara hadn’t been sure about her feelings for Cat before – and she would have to be beyond blind not to be aware of them by now –, what happened when Harry started having nightmares would have made her fall in love with the other woman. And it did. _All over again_.

One of Cat’s hands had found its way to Kara’s thigh the moment Harry had enquired Hermione and Ron about not having written to him throughout the summer. She had given her a gentle reassuring squeeze and, instead of withdrawing her hand, she had just abandoned it there, as if it was the most natural thing to do. To be fair, it did feel like it. Then, when the nightmares had started, Cat had instinctively started tracing soothing lines over the fabric of her skirt.

In an utter state of awe, Kara bent down slightly to press a kiss against Cat’s cheek. Noticing the slight movement, Cat had at the same time looked up which ended up with Kara kissing her fully on the lips.

The younger woman pulled away immediately, mentally kicking herself for not enjoying it as she would have had to deal with the consequences anyway. Her panic was palpable on her suddenly tense posture.

“I am- I am _so_ sorry.” Kara started in a whisper as soon as she found her voice again. “I didn’t mean to- I didn’t want to- I mean, I did _want_ to, I just-” Her voice suddenly got very busy while yelling at her own heart not to beat its way out of her chest as Cat brushed her lips softly against hers.

“I must confess that for a moment I wondered if you were reacting out of repulsion.” Cat whispered against Kara’s lips. “As you can probably imagine, my mind was already working out a way of sending your gorgeous sorry ass to a whole different reality when…” Cat pecked her softly on the lips. “I realized that you were simply worried about my _best_ interests…” Kara could feel her smile against her parted mouth. “My hero in shinning cape.” She added before pulling back slightly. “Now focus. This is your favorite.” She whispered in her ear before placing a tender kiss there and turning to look back at the screen.

 _You are my favorite_ , Kara wanted to say. Instead, she sighed deeply and focused her eyes back on the screen. “You are very distracting, you know that?”

“Are we complaining?” Cat asked without even looking up at her.

Kara couldn’t help but smile at the _we_. “Of course we aren’t.”

“Good. Now _shhh_.”

The room went quiet for a few moments, Cat’s hand still firmly in place on Kara’s tight, her fingertips unconsciously starting to move every single time Harry found himself in a distress situation that somehow reminded her of Kara’s story.

Then it happened.

Ron and Hermione were walking down the stairs discussing the Christmas jumper Ron had just received as a gift from his parents.

 _Hermione:_ “ _I can’t understand why you won’t want to wear it, Ronald._ ”

 _Ron:_ “ _’Cause I’ll look like a bloody idiot, that’s why._ ”

 _Hermione:_ “ _No more than usual._ ”

“Oh look, they sound just like you two bickering.” There was amusement in Carter’s voice, but there was also… a _challenge_?

Kara was still letting the innuendo sink in when she heard Carter let out a surprised yelp. Again, she found herself tensing up until she realized that Cat had thrown a cushion at him.

“Mom!” He complained, his voice filled with laughter.

“Son!” Cat replied, mimicking his previous line. “Behave or else there won’t be any more marathons.”

“Not fair. I was just pointing out the _fact_ -” Cat hadn’t been able to stop him before he had pronounced the word _fact_ in the very same challenging way.

“That is a very thin line you are walking on, Carter Grant. You only want to wet your toes and you might end up dripping all over my carpet.”

“Checkmate.” He said in defeat.

“It was a very well-played game, sweetheart. I am proud, just don’t try it again.”

Even though it was dark, Kara could feel the warmness of Carter’s grin. She could also feel his smugness. _Mission accomplished_ exhaled from his posture. It was both adorable and frightening. _Again, his mother’s son. Again, scarily so._

Kara couldn’t help but give Carter’s Hermione/Ron analogy, and incredibly ingenious theory, some thought. Truth be told, when she had first read the books she had thought their relationship to have been… _inevitable_. Ever since the _very_ beginning. One could have their doubts along the way, but if one went back on their story and _history_ … it just felt _meant_ to be.

“The Hermione to my Ron.” She heard herself whisper against the skin of Cat’s forehead. It took her a moment to realize she had actually said the words out loud.

_Loading panic… loading panic…_

“You are such…” Kara’s heart stopped for a moment.

_Installing panic… installing panic…_

“For the lack of a better word I will have to say… _goofball_.” Cat said, tasting the word’s flavor on her tongue. It was not entirely repulsive. “Luckily for you, you are an entirely _adorable_ one.”

 _Panic averted_.

“I didn’t even know that goofball was part of your repertoire.”

“I have many years of Scrabble under my belt.” There was pride in Cat’s voice, even at the mention of years. “Besides, I have learned to adapt.” She added before raising her voice a little bit so that Carter would hear as well. “I also live with a teenager.”

“Young adult!” He instantly retorted, causing Cat to laugh out loud in pure glee. He seemed unfazed by her response, though. It was as if his brain had been taught to always say _young adult_ at the sound of the word _teenager_.

“You are a _girl_ full of surprises.”

Cat, not missing Kara’s inflection on _girl_ , squeezed her thigh again.

“Oh, you haven’t heard the half of it!”

“But I am undeniably curious.”

“Good to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I hope I end up writing the next chapter because I already have the last line and I am so in love with it I could cry rainbows.


	8. Stay In Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is really something  
> People will be envious  
> But our roles aren't clear  
> So we musn't rush  
> Still, we're burning brightly  
> Clinging like fire to fuel  
> I'm grinning like a fool  
> Stay in touch  
> We should stay in touch  
> Oh! Stay in touch  
> In touch."
> 
> Two can tango.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am afraid the line that has had me crying rainbows for a while is not yet upon us. This chapter decided to show up and just happen. I apologize, hoping that you will still enjoy this little thing. AGAIN, and ALWAYS, thank you SO MUCH for your support. Sharing this journey with you has been nothing but epic!
> 
> P.S. It's 3.30 AM, please do forgive me if you run into typos of any kind.

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”

J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

It is incredible how even the littlest of things can become the elephant in the room if pointed out by a reliable source.

Metaphorical stone skipping, that had been what Carter Grant had been attempting to do ever since Kara had first arrived that early afternoon. To be fair, he had been studying the technique ever since he had witnessed an interaction between the two women that had left him with the words _belong together_ on the tip of his tongue. He had given it a lot of thought before making the decision of acting upon what he had seen. He had considered all the pros and cons, he had weighted them carefully because he had been certain that the moment he went for it, the mission would be accomplished.

Just like his mother, Carter Grant did not believe in the existence of failure. He perceived the concept as an excuse and excuses were another notion towards which he had developed a zero tolerance policy – a gift from his darling father who had cancelled on him enough times to have showing up become the exception to the rule.

 _Sharing Mom_.

Carter would probably never have to admit it out loud, but he was not proud, if not truly embarrassed, of having left _sharing mom_ for last. It had been the item on his list that had taken him longer to chew through. For a long time, as far as he had been concerned, Cat had never loved anyone else but him. What precisely would the sharing entail in this case? Would it mean spending less time together? Less time _alone_ together?

Then it had hit him.

His mother had always been there for him. She clearly dedicated a lot of her time to CATCO – that was an outright fact _and_ public, often criticized, knowledge –, but somehow he had never felt her to be _not_ _there_. Whenever there was a fire in his life, no matter how small or _insignificant_ , she had always been there. _Always_. It seemed to be her very own superpower.

Would being in a relationship with Kara change that?

To be fair, he had known about his mother’s beyond reciprocated _crush_ for a long time now and not once had it come to stand between the two of them. She spent most of her time with Kara when at the office and yet every time he arrived she focused her attention solely on him.

And Kara? Instead of being jealous he would see her smile affectionately at them from the corner of his eye.

Kara Danvers didn’t want the ‘queen of all media’ Cat Grant, she didn’t even want the ‘most powerful person in National city’ Cat Grant. Kara Danvers didn’t want any of Cat Grant’s titles, she wanted _Cat Grant_ , the person – and Carter would forever be part of that person.

Once he had quietly figured that out, he decided to start skipping the aforementioned metaphorical stones. It had proven to be more complicated than he had at first imagined because the also metaphorical pond seemed to require the presence of both in a comfortable environment – how else would they ever notice the ripples otherwise? Harry Potter had then come to the rescue and the envisioned ripples had become waves that were now crashing against the predicted shores.

Carter’s analogy had offered a seed to Cat’s mind and now all her thoughts seemed to have branched out, their roots firm and tangled to the point of there being no room for denial.

Cat could _see_ what he had meant and, with the books still fresh in her head, she could even understand _how_ he had come upon such a sagacious parallel. _Why_ had he voiced it, though? That would require a session of exhaustive probing that would certainly take place in the near future, but perhaps only after a much required, perhaps even desired, _tête-à-tête_ with Kara.

 _Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and their inevitability: the anatomy of a meant to be love story_.

It had all started with a scene that could be resumed in one word: _distaste_. That was a flavor that Cat Grant was more than familiar with and that she had indeed experienced the first time she had laid her eyes on Kara Danvers. She had not been _repulsed_ , she had been… _surprised_ , in a very peculiar way that she hadn’t been able to make sense of right away – as a reporter, that was not something that Cat ever considered appreciating.

While the people she had interviewed earlier that day – earlier that week, if not year or perhaps even decade! – had all somehow fitted in a neat category, Kara had been _all over the place_ , she had been… _unexpected_. Cat should have known right there and then that the young woman would somehow lead her to trouble. There hadn’t been the usual sense of indifference. Instead, she had found herself _intrigued_.

It had taken her less than a minute to decide on indulging herself by determining that such unpredictability deserved further assessment. Either way she would probably have to look for someone else by the end of the week, so _why the hell not_? She could use a distraction from the general incompetence at the office. And, truth be told, Cat had always loved a good mystery. She just hadn’t expected to _fall in love_ with one.

As it had happened to Hermione and Ron, they hadn’t become _friendly_ right away. To be fair, in either case it would be quite difficult, if not _impossible_ , to pinpoint the exact moment when they had gone from acquaintances to… _friends_? It had been more of a _whether you like it or not_ situation. They had at some point _needed_ each other and the deal had been instantly sealed. Their layers had been first blended together and then merged, the file had been saved and closed, and the _ctrl+z_ shortcut had soon enough become categorically obsolete.

Even though the distance between obsolete and obvious _was_ short, particularly when considering the dictionary, _jealousy_ had to come all the way down to open their eyes to the fact that there had been something happening, _growing_ , between them… for quite _some_ time.

 _Have we skipped that stage_? Cat found herself wondering, looking up at the younger woman who instinctively reacted to the movement by pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. Her eyes had never truly abandoned the screen as the signs of the impending hopeful end of _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ had become too recognizable to ignore, but Cat had felt reassurance from Kara’s lips. _I am here_ , they had whispered against her skin.

“How are _we_ even here?” Cat murmured in wonderment, this time causing Kara to redirect her attention to her almost immediately.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked, frowning in concern.

“That will give you wrinkles.” Cat replied as she reached out to caress the lines the frown had brought to Kara’s forehead with her fingertips, smoothing them out softly.

“I was just thinking…” Cat started, for a moment considering sharing her actual thoughts before recognizing that perhaps the context wasn’t the most appropriate for the matter. “That if it weren’t for her obnoxious passion for pink cardigans and cats, I might have attempted a little Dolores Umbridge maneuver at the office.”

“What about the imminent mutiny?”

“Do you honestly believe anyone would _dare_ to even _think_ about doing such a thing at CATCO?” Cat raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Most of your darling colleagues believe I read minds. They are _terrified_ to think while I am around and it _shows_ in the work that every now and then escapes your constant editing attempts to cover it up.”

“I am sor- I just- I didn’t mean to, but-” Kara found herself being silenced by one of Cat’s fingers pressing against her lips.

“Oh, I am _grateful_ , so shush.” Cat traced Kara’s bottom lip with her thumb. “Not only did I find it… _adorable_ how subtle you thought you were being, it also reassured me to know that if anything were to happen to me, someone competent would be able to keep things under control.”

“Siobhan though…” Kara had to admit that mentioning Siobhan’s name hadn’t been her greatest moment, but Cat’s statement had left her a little stunned.

 _Siobhan_ , of course. How could she have forgotten? And there was also _James_ and the lighthouse she very much intended to set on fire till there was not even a vestige of a clue of there ever been light. Alas, it seemed like they hadn’t skipped the jealousy, and rather idiotic, phase. _At all_. They just hadn’t discussed that particularly lovely label… _yet_.

“Let’s _talk shop_ later, shall we?” Cat offered. “If I am not mistaken, we are about to be taught a very important lesson.” There was determination in Kara’s eyes, but there was also acceptance… and _trust_. “ _Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect_.” It was breathtaking to witness how the quote, that simple suggestion of _hope_ , immediately softened the younger woman’s face expression.

“As I said before, you’re _very_ distracting.” Kara said, easily deciding on letting go of the subject for the time being as deep down she knew she shouldn’t even have brought it up in the first place. They would talk about it, yes, but _right_ _now_ was too good of a moment to ruin with trivial things from a past that couldn’t be at all changed.

“And I am not even trying.”

Cat’s voice tone was so suggestive that a slight, yet beyond evident, veil of darkness took over Kara’s eyes. It made Cat think of the gloomier shade the ocean seemed to put on when expecting a storm to arrive. As if lovers meeting at the only place they know no one will look, the very eye of the tempest – they hide in it, they merge with it, they _become_ it.

The beginning and the end meet as lightening breaks the endlessness of the sky. Was there a more sensual way of describing what had just happened to Kara’s face? Cat didn’t think so. To be fair, she didn’t even want to _think_ or else the level of trouble would escalate in ways that would be certainly delightful, but that they were probably not yet ready to deal with.

“Is that a threat?”

Oh, but they could _tango_. Oh yes, they could.

“Of course not.” There was a mysterious twinkle in Cat’s eyes as she enunciated each word. “It’s a promise.”


	9. Nothing Can Be Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh I am not old  
> I'm told  
> But I am not young  
> Oh and nothing can be done  
> Don't start  
> My heart  
> Is a smoking gun  
> Oh and nothing can be done."
> 
> Age is far from being the most interesting thing about either of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I had gone through a rollercoaster to write one of the latest chapters? Well, writing this one was like being thrown off a building. There’s no other way to describe it. I really do hope you enjoy it. I am just going to sit in the corner for a while being all emotional.
> 
> P.S. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. For every comment, ever kudo, _every_ thing.

“Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”

J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

There is nothing quite as thrilling as an unexpected first kiss. There is also nothing quite as terrifying.

On the one hand, the all too common gracelessness of a premeditated first kiss remains nothing more than a juvenile nightmare that one can barely recall as lips seem to seek one another of their own accord. There is no clashing of teeth, no bumping of noses. It’s as if, for a moment, _perfection_ reclaims body in something other than the pages of a dictionary.

On the other hand, though, it is almost impossible to convey in words the intensity of the moment that follows, the instant when mouths, once aligned with the stars, part ways. The aforementioned _perfection_ is placed in stasis as breaths mingle, eyes closed and lips parted, searching for the distinguishable flavor that is potential regret. When there is no recognizable twinge of remorse, eyes shyly meet and the sky is once more clear.

For Cat Grant and Kara Danvers the Harry Potter marathon had become a rather _prolonged_ unexpected first kiss.

As the two women and the boy sat together through the last film of the night, they couldn’t help but wonder what would happen once the screen went dark for good. There would be no more pretexts to seeking the comfort of the closeness they seemed to delightedly, if not _lovingly_ , offer one another. They would have to come out of the darkness and openly say it, _admit_ it to each other _and_ themselves. _I want you_.

_Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_.

The irony wasn’t lost on the three of them. They had just finished watching the most hopeful of the Harry Potter movies and were now about to embark the darkest of them all before bidding one another goodnight. It would be up to them to keep in mind that the saga ended with a hint of happiness before forever fading into black.

Even though they had taken their bathroom and kitchen breaks before switching DVDs and pressing play, they had spontaneously resumed their position on the couch. Instead of pretending to have the movie bring them closer, a frame at a time, they seemed to have unconsciously decided that it was an absolute waste of time _and_ wellbeing.

Kara, who had returned first, had sat with her arm resting open on the back of the couch. Cat, who had gone to the kitchen to get Carter some chamomile tea so that the adrenalin of the films and the sugar would wear off enough as to allow him a good night of sleep, had then joined Kara, their bodies coming as close as humanly possible to one another. Kara’s arm had then dropped and wrapped itself around Cat’s shoulders, Cat’s head responding by finding its way to Kara’s. _I could get used to this_ , they had thought in unison.

The session ended up being a rather quiet one, a few comments here and there tainting the silence with snippets of humor meant to dissipate the seriousness that had leisurely, yet deliberately, crawled upon them, disclosing evident signs of its impending, and ruthless, arrival.

_Look at us being all domestic_ , Kara had stated when, still at the very beginning, Ron had reached out to wipe away some forgotten toothpaste from the corner of a pajama-clad Hermione’s mouth. Cat had responded to the words whispered against her forehead by placing a soft kiss where Kara’s neck met her shoulder. Kara had shivered delightfully at the contact, closing her eyes for a moment and allowing herself to melt into the smile she could then feel being pressed against her skin.

_Look at you getting ready to cheat on me_ , Cat had joked when Ron had at some point, even if just for less than a minute, eyed Lavender Brown. _To be fair, it’s your fault_ , Kara had replied, causing Cat to lift her head from the young girl’s shoulder as to level their eyes. _Excuse me_? There had been a certain seriousness to her tone that had quickly been followed by the slight, and rather characteristic, raise of the eyebrow in question.

_He’s obviously trying out your legendary lighthouse technique. Being his first time, he got a little blindsided by his own light. It certainly ended up working out just fine, don’t you think? A testament to your greatness_. The grin that had followed the utterly ingenious, even if a bit silly, theory had been so infectious that Cat had found herself grinning right back at Kara. _Smartass_. Cat had eventually added, shaking her head in amusement before allowing it to return to the coziness of Kara’s shoulder. _Learned from the best_. Kara had retorted promptly, squeezing Cat gently to her side.

_Flattery will definitely get you nowhere now_. At that Kara had looked down, her eyes finding Cat’s amused ones. The laughter in them subsided as silent declarations were exchanged through glances that would have made the boldest word in the dictionary blush and melt into a puddle of useless ink. _Good thing there’s nowhere else I would rather be then, huh_? If Cat still had had any doubts about Kara’s willingness to attempt _forever_ with her, in that very moment they had simply vanished. She had found herself at a loss for words, reduced to silences that felt deafening in her head. Cat had then reached out, caressing Kara’s face tenderly before bringing her closer so that she could place one meaning **ful –** do give yourself time to taste, to _flavor_ , every single character that constitutes the word, for that is just how dedicated Cat came across –  kiss on the young girl’s lips.

_What did I do_? Kara had asked breathlessly. _Nothing. Everything. The usual_.

The sudden pausing had come as no surprise to Cat. Truth be told, she had considered suggesting that they skipped Dumbledore’s death altogether before they had even started watching the movie. She knew that both Kara and Carter would be _going through it_ as if they were wearing Harry’s skin over their own. She thought that there was absolutely no need to put them through it once more, even if she had never watched the scene herself – reading it had had her crying though, it had been more than enough.

“Mom, Kara. If you will excuse me, I think I am ready to go to bed.” There was no trace of doubt in his voice and definitely not on his step as he deliberately stood up from his Gryffindor cushion.

“It is getting rather late.” Kara commented as she reached for her phone to confirm that it was indeed close to being midnight. Cat could have kissed her for having painted his decision as trivial instead of publicly awing it into the big deal that it truthfully was – and for many other reasons, of course.

“I will tuck you in.” Cat laid her hand on Kara’s thigh, squeezing it in a _will be right back_ manner before using the young woman’s body as support for standing up.

“I am not a little boy anymore.” Carter said matter-of-factly, his body poised as if nothing could break him.

“Don’t remind me.” Cat came behind him and put her hands on his shoulders before kissing the top of his head.

“Goodnight, Kara.” Carter whispered softly, his mother’s touch having infused him with the feeling of safety he required to allow his body and mind to calm down and relax. “Hope to see you again soon.”

“Thank you for letting me crash your marathon.” Kara offered him with an affectionate smile. “I will see you soon. Nighty night.”

Cat led him through the hall to his bedroom and opened the bed while he changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth.

“Mom?” Carter started as he walked back into the room. “Are you and Kara dating?”

Again, absolutely zero surprise. His little analogy had already informed her that he had been giving it some thought, perhaps even more than she had given it herself. If he was choosing to discuss the matter openly it meant that he was ready to admit the possibility.

“I honestly don’t know, darling.” She replied, sitting down on the bed once he had climbed into it.

“I think it would be nice. You two are comfortable around each other.” He said as he visibly suppressed a yawn. “And she makes you smile.”

“That she does.” Cat confirmed with a nod, the thought instantly bringing a smile to her face.

“Don’t think too hard, mom, okay?” He asked as he laid one of his hands over hers that stood neatly on her lap. “ _It is the unknown we fear_.” He quoted with a grave voice that made Cat chuckle.

“You are too smart for your own good.”

“I am a Grant.” He stated proudly.

“Oh no, darling, you are so much more than that.” She sandwiched his hand between hers and sighed deeply. _Whatever did I do to deserve you_ , she found herself thinking as the first cry of another child erupted in her head.

“I love you, mom.”

“And I love _you_.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Don’t you dare grow even more while sleeping.” She added as she ran a hand through his brown hair.

“Give Kara a goodnight kiss for me.” His voice sounded sleepy, but there was a mischievous smile on his face.

“You cheeky thing.” She pinched his cheek gently before standing up.

“Learned from the best.” He closed his eyes and once the quietness of his mother’s steps told him that she was standing by the light switch for the pause she always took before actually turning off the light, he decided it was time to return all the reassurance she had given him since he had taken his very first breath. “Hey mom?”

“Yes honey?”

“A number is far from being the most interesting thing about you.”

“Tell that to the world.”

“It’s none of its business.” And with that he turned on his side, instantly falling into a world of dreams that transpired hope and bliss.

_I must have done something right_ , she told herself before turning off the light and leaving the room.

Cat walked back into the living room to find Kara leaning back on the couch with her eyes closed. She looked so incredibly young and so _endearingly_ at home just sitting there. _A number is far from being the most interesting thing about you_ , she heard her son repeat in her head. It was both thrilling and absolutely terrifying.

She made her way to the couch and sat down, giving it some thought before laying one of her hands over Kara’s. Her heart skipped a beat as she witnessed a smile instantly starting to form on the other woman’s face before she instinctively tangled their fingers.

“Hi.” Kara said as she opened her eyes and found Cat studying her with a gaze that whispered promises of love as it traveled her skin.

“Hi yourself.” Cat used her free hand to move a loose strand of hair away from Kara’s face. “Are you okay? You seemed… _distant_.”

“Just thinking.” Kara said with a shrug, looking down at their joined hands for a minute before searching for Cat’s eyes once again. “I _think_ I would like to see it.”

“Pardon?”

“The scene.” Kara explained. “I was never able to put myself through it.” She started, using her thumb to trace soft circles on Cat’s hand. “I think I can do it. _With you_.”

Cat had never seen Kara looking as vulnerable as she presently did. The protectiveness she felt towards the other woman was overwhelming. Even though Kara was bullet proof, Cat was very much aware that she would instinctively stand between the other woman and any kind of possible aggressor. She would be afraid, of course, but the fear of losing Kara had grown into proportions that almost matched the fear of losing Carter, her own son.

It was disturbing, but also liberating. It felt as if someone had breathed life back into her. She was suddenly extremely aware of how every inch of her body, every whatever the measuring unit was of her very soul, wanted Kara, _needed_ her. Though she discerned that all this _existing_ opened doors to pain, the bliss of knowing, of being over a hundred percent _sure_ , that Kara wouldn’t ever deliver it on purpose, numbed, if not burned, all the doubts.

“Are you sure?”

Kara simply nodded, giving Cat a sad yet encouraging smile before turning to focus on the screen.

Cat sighed deeply before pressing play and leaning back on the couch so that her shoulder was placed firmly against Kara’s for support. The other woman had yet to release her hand, keeping their laced fingers on her lap as if they were her only anchor to reality.

The first thing Cat heard was a gasp and the first thing she felt was a shudder. Kara was clinging to her hand as if her own life depended on it, her eyes glued to the screen as Dumbledore fell endlessly to his death.

Then there was a sob.

And then another.

“Kara…”

And another.

“I am sorry. I don’t even- I am just- I am sorry, I didn’t mean to-” Kara groaned. “What is happening to me?”

And another.

“ _Shhh_. Come here.” She opened her arms and Kara instantly abandoned the screen, turning towards the embrace. Cat rocked them back and forth, softly, as she used to do every single time Carter woke up screaming from one of his pestering nightmares. “It’s going to be okay.” She whispered soothingly as she continued with the motion that after a while started to lull Kara back into a state of at least apparent peacefulness.

After a moment Cat pulled away slightly so that she could rest her forehead against Kara’s. “Dumbledore would have never let go if he didn’t believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that Harry was ready.”

“How is it that you always seem to know just what to say?”

“I have said the wrong thing many times before. Life is just making sure I don’t have arguments to plead _not guilty_ due to dreadful odds when the time comes.”

Kara opened her eyes at the evident sadness in Cat’s voice. She brought one of her hands to Cat’s face and smiled as Cat instinctively inclined towards the touch.

“How on _earth_ did I ever get so lucky?” Kara whispered before leaning over and pressing her lips against Cat’s. This time is was deliberate and she found herself in no rush _at all_ to pull away. To be fair, she didn’t think _forever_ would fulfill her intense _need_ for Cat.

Cat had felt like laughing at the question. She had never thought she would live to hear someone consider herself lucky for having found her way to her. She didn’t consider herself to be someone’s terrible fate, but her guilt from having made _certain_ decisions had left her without the leverage she needed to confidently stand tall when it came to relationships. Kara wasn’t letting go, though. She was not giving Cat a chance to contradict, or to even question, her words. So why should she? They would talk about it, yes, but not now. Definitely not _right_ now.

Cat tilted her head to the side, the movement being punctuated by her tongue running over Kara’s upper lip. It was a silent request to which Kara answered by parting her lips and thoughtlessly following Cat’s lead.

There were absolutely no words.

_Zero_. _Zilch_. _Nada_. _Niente_. _Rien de rien_.

It was reckless and they both knew it. It felt _oh so good_ though.

The kiss had grown into an intricate dance that had fingertips attempting to memorize every inch of foreigner skin they could find without having lips part ways. Shirts were being lifted yet not fully discarded. Skirts were being raised, inner thighs were being found and…

“ _Kara_?”

It took Kara a moment to fully acknowledge and comprehend that the sound couldn’t possibly be coming from the woman now under her.

“ _Kara_?”

It was louder this time and the urgency of the tone had caught even Cat’s attention. Kara let her face fall gently on Cat’s shoulders once the other woman broke the kiss. If she hadn’t done it, if Cat hadn’t removed her hand from her inner thigh, Kara would have certainly considered ignoring the voice playing loudly in her head.

“Yes?” She answered once she felt like she could hold a normal conversation without having to stop to catch her breath.

“ _Are you okay_? _You sound…_ _breathless_.”

“I _was_ good.” She answered, the growing pout obvious in her voice tone. “What’s up?”

“ _There’s a plane_ …”

“Full circle much?” Kara whispered against the skin of Cat’s naked shoulder.

“I believe there’s no point in asking you to stay the night now.” Cat nuzzled her neck with her nose. “It would have probably been an awful idea anyway. We should definitely talk at some point.” She added, offering Kara a guilt-free way out.

“Promise you will ask me again?” Kara asked as she brought her lips to brush against Cat’s again.

“Pardon?”

Kara made a mental note to never ask Cat questions after making out for more than ten minutes. The other woman’s voice sounded dangerously huskier and it was almost unbearable to even consider the idea of leaving her without listening to her every word till she fell blissfully asleep, no matter how long it took.

“To stay.” Kara explained. “Will you promise to ask me to stay again?”

Kara felt Cat’s indulgent smile against her lips before having them captured in another kiss, too gently and _way_ too hastily.

“Finally a promise I am certain to keep.”

“I could have done without the suspense, you know?” Kara groaned loudly as she got up from the couch, offering Cat a hand once she felt steady enough.

“And where would be the fun in that?”

“If I didn’t lov-” Kara froze, the last _e_ remaining trapped in her throat. “I am s-” She was interrupted by a finger being pressed against her swollen lips.

“Don’t you even dare to apologize for what you almost said.” Cat started, letting her finger caress its way down Kara’s jaw before letting her hand fall to her side. “We will talk about it when there’s time to go _through_ it all, okay? You do owe me a date.”

“I hope Monday works for you because I don’t think I will be able to hold on for much longer.” Kara said half exasperated.

“I share the frustration. I will have my assistant, whoever that might be, clear my schedule.”

“Excuse my French, but to hell with your assistant, I will do it myself.” Kara leaned over and pressed one last kiss to Cat’s lips. “Could I use your balcony?”

“ _Always_.”

Dangerous voice.

“Have I told you lately that you are _very_ distracting?”

Cat shook her head in amusement before taking a step back so that there was some distance between the two of them. The proximity was beyond addictive, on the verge on being maddening, and there was no point in pretending that Kara could stay, even if it was indeed the one thing she truly desired.

“Plane.” Cat said flatly. “Go before I change my mind about allowing it.”

“I would like to see that. Raincheck?” Kara laughed as Cat crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised an eyebrow at her. “I am going, I am going.”

She had just returned home from saving a plane from crashing against one of the main buildings of National City when the distance started tickling her brain.

_Could it all have been nothing but a dream?_

Her phone vibrated. There was a new text message. It read, _You kiss the life out of a girl and then you fly away. Dementors have got nothing on you either. Goodnight, Kara ‘Supergirl’ Danvers_.

Kara’s smile would have lightened the whole city if she hadn’t pressed her face against her pillow. She was certain that Cat had stayed up late watching the news so that she could be sure Kara would make it home safely – it was beyond loveable.

Oh yes, it was _beyond_ loveable.

It was _love_.


	10. Darling Come to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You give the call to follow your heart  
> You'll follow your heart, I know  
> I've been around  
> I'm an old hand  
> I'll understand if you have to go.
> 
> So make your mark  
> For your friends to see  
> But when you need more than company  
> Don't go to strangers  
> Lover come to me."
> 
> Cat has an epiphany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two keep surprising me. I swear, I start with an idea and suddenly I am following them instead of the other way around. _Sigh_.  
>  Anyway, here it is. The _very_ last chapter before the epilogue. I hope you enjoy it. I tried to have Cat and Kara share the emotional central stage on this one. Hopefully it won’t disappoint.  
>  As always, THANK YOU. Not only have I been following these two characters, I have been following you wonderful people (not in a stalk-ish way!!). It has been an absolute pleasure! See you at the epilogue?

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

If time could speak in a language of words instead of seconds, minutes and hours, I believe it would stare us in the face for long enough to test the boundaries given to eternity by humanity, and then it would… _laugh_.

If time, for some absurd reason, took upon itself to attempt an existence within a physical body much like our own, it would by now have perished under the weight we relentlessly place upon its shoulders, day after day after day.

 _Time_.

There is either too much of it or without doubt not enough. It either goes by too fast, a petulant child crossing the road without looking one way let alone both, or too slow, the ticking of the clock lulling our minds into a world where everything seems to be frozen in place.

If flies are believed to have been created so that human beings would always have something to do, time is certainly the upgraded version so that human beings will always having something to fight, something to blame, something to chase.

Having been _kindly_ adopted by the human race, Kara Danvers could be currently seen fighting, blaming and chasing time, all at _once_. In her head, playing on a loop, she could hear the speech she had been given by Cat about the process of learning to juggle, mastering one thing at a time.

Not only had she been listening attentively, lately Kara had also been trying to apply the aforementioned lesson to her day-to-day life. _One ball at the time_ , she kept repeating to herself, a smile plastered on her face as Cat’s voice seemed to always invade her mind at the thought.

Everything had been going remarkably well until someone had yelled inside her ear, _catch_! Before Cat – she loved the sound of _before Cat_ because it meant that there was now not an _after Cat_ but a _with Cat_ –, she would have thrown her own balls – don’t be crude – away and would have done everything in her power to catch the one flying in her direction, without giving it a second thought. Now though, _with Cat_ , she found herself weighting each and every situation.

It was tricky, and Cat hadn’t mentioned any set of ground rules about the catching of foreign balls – again, don’t be crude. Kara knew she hadn’t felt the need to do so because she had thought it to be obvious. At some point someone was bound to try to push her too hard, on the verge of breaking her, and, after a few falls, she would certainly learn how to say, _I am sorry, but I can’t_.

That was the trickiest part, though. Kara had always had a problem with saying no to people, and pretty much the whole world was well aware of said condition. They used her; they sometimes _abused_ her, and at the end of the day Kara would be the one feeling miserable for yet again not having been able to juggle it all, even if most of her _all_ hadn’t been hers to begin with.

People had grown so attached to the idea of being saved that they would scream help at the thought of having to change a lamp on their own. And Kara, being Kara, held their hand while _she_ changed the lamp. Once again, _miserable_.

At least she had thought that that had been misery.

At the very moment though, having missed her date with Cat because of a furry one trapped in a tree that had somehow turned into the patient zero of a domino of other complications, she was sadly finding the real meaning of the word. And it had way more claws than she had at first expected.

Kara had not meant to, she had closed her eyes and had allowed the wind to carry her in whichever direction it thought best, but somehow she had instinctively found her way to the one place where she had always found a welcoming shoulder to metaphorically, and other times rather literally, rest her exhaustion and uncertainty on, a welcoming shoulder to _lean on_.

With her eyes still closed but her feet firmly placed on the ground, she let out a breath she had been holding since the moment she had heard the first cry for assistance. As soon as she sat down, still oblivious even if by memory aware of her surroundings, she was reminded of the day she had thrown Cat off of that very same balcony. Not only that, she was reminded of how a few hours later the other woman had greeted her back without giving it a second thought. Cat’s _of course_ had covered every inch of the silence that had been deafeningly screaming words of self-doubt at her.

 _A sob_.

Cat had not meant to stay this long, but the idea of going home to an empty house had been precisely as appealing as advertised. After the warmth of the weekend, she would much rather face the absurdity of spending her night dealing with the incompetence of people unquestionably fast asleep than the aloofness of envisioned memories that would be left unwritten. _For the night_ , she told herself. There had been not even an explanation by text message, but there would _undoubtedly_ be a rescheduling...

She had to bite on the inside of her cheek to escape the questioning point that seemed to want to follow the openness of the suspension points. _At all costs_.

 _Another sob_.

She knew that this would sooner or later happen, but she had wished for something solid to hold onto before the arrival of the _later_.

The Saturday they had spent together had been… _splendid_. It had honestly felt like they had been doing whatever they were doing since _forever_. It had taken them a minute to adjust, yes, but not to the interactions themselves. Instead, they simply had needed a minute to get used to openly acknowledging something they had deliberately been doing, been _wanting_ , since _forever_.

The line of thought revealed above more than reflected the state of exhaustion Cat found herself in, yet somehow, instead of leading her to another train wreck, it introduced her to the very last stop, to the very last station.

She walked out of the train and found herself staring at the truth. She would have laughed out loud if the smallest sound hadn’t caught her attention and hadn’t made her look up to find herself staring at the person she had been expecting since… _forever_.

 _And another_.

“Kara?”

For a moment she thought she was hallucinating. Her heart was beating so fast inside her chest that the hand that had been gripping the couch’s arm was sending ripples that could most certainly be mistaken for earthquakes.

“Kara, are you okay?”

Cat had refrained from touching Kara as soon as she had approached her because she was afraid of frightening her. She seemed to be somewhere deep inside her own shell and having her knock at the door when not expected could have loud repercussions that her current sobs told her perhaps wouldn’t be wise.

“Kara?”

Kara had expected hatred, not concern. To be fair, the hatred she had been expecting had nothing to do with Cat’s not always bubbly personality, but more to do with what she was feeling towards herself.

She took one deep breath before opening her eyes to find Cat kneeling by her feet, her eyes fatigued but kind, tender, even _affectionate_.

“Will you _please_ talk to me?”

It was a soft request, somewhat desperate yet not intrusive, not a harsh order. If Kara had been feeling terrible about having missed the date before, she now felt absolutely… _desolated_. She had disappointed Cat. Or at least she had disappointed herself for having stood her up on their very _first_ date. She had been the one to go out of her way to ask her out and she had been the one to miss it, the date that had started _everything_.

“Are you hurt?”

“I am sorry.” She tried once, her voice coming out broken and laced in unshed tears that had stopped falling as soon as she had heard Cat’s soothing voice. “I am _so_ sorry.” She repeated after clearing her throat.

“ _Kara_ , are you _hurt_?” Cat repeated, this time more insistently, carefully punctuating each word to convey the importance of having Kara reply truthfully.

“No. _No_ , I am fine. I mean, I am okay. Physically, at least. There was a cat trapped in a tree and then there was a fire and-” She stopped the babbling she had started with her eyes on the floor as soon as they met Cat’s again.

“Please don’t hold against me what I am about to say,” Cat’s tone implied that whatever she was about to say was something she had determined recently, something she was still trying to make sense of herself. “I honestly don’t care that you are Supergirl.” It felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Cat couldn’t help it, as the words reverberated on their surroundings and found their way to her own ears, she laughed. She laughed with purpose and genuinely. Again, her exhaustion was more than palpable, but there were also traces of something else that brought the idea of an _eureka moment_ to Kara’s mind.

Cat seemed to have had an epiphany but Kara was not sure she was quite following yet.

“Huh, wh-what?” Kara asked in confusion as one of Cat’s hands reached out for the one of hers that had started gripping the couch’s arm even tighter. Whatever it meant, it appeared not to be _breaking up_ material because Cat was touching her. That was something, right? Or was Cat just making sure she didn’t throw herself off of the balcony and refused to use her powers to save herself?

“Let me explain.” Cat started softly, intertwining their fingers once Kara’s grip had given in to her soothing touch. “The same way as I promised I would again ask you to stay, I can promise you that I will always have a hard time sharing you.” She smiled at their joined hands before focusing her attention on Kara’s eyes. “It doesn’t matter whether you are putting out a fire, getting the layouts from James or taking a shower. I will always find myself missing you the second you leave my sight, whether for two minutes or twenty four hours.” She made a pause, sighing deeply as if in reaction to being allowed to see through a window of a future that showed her yet again waiting for Kara to arrive. “But you know what?” It was impossible to ignore how her spirits seemed to have lifted after letting the question out in the air.

“What?” Kara hadn’t even taken a moment to consider whether the question had been rhetorical or one that Cat had expected her to actually answer. She was too invested to care about protocol.

“I will be just fine.” Cat responded rather breathlessly, as if she had been holding the truth inside of her all this time and it had suddenly become unbearable to breathe without sharing it. “ _We_ will be just fine.” She said as she squeezed their joined hands. “Because I seem to have been missing you since the very first moment I laid eyes on you and it has been over two years now and we are still here. We have been succeeding at this since _forever_ , so why would it change now?”

 _Holy shit_ , Kara thought to herself, her eyes widening in realization. All this time they had been worried about a decision they had already made. They might have spent a couple of months lying to themselves, but they had known and even acted upon the truth of what they felt.

“How did you- What- How-?” Kara groaned at her own lack of finesse before using their joined hands to pull Cat to her feet and then tugging her forward so that she ended up sitting on her lap. “What gave us away?” She asked, finding comfort by hiding her face in Cat’s neck.

“I am afraid to say that it was our idiocy.” Cat said as she ran her free hand through Kara’s soft hair. “I will be denying it to my dying day, though.”

Kara laughed for the very first time that day. That was certainly one of Cat’s many superpowers. She could discuss substantial matters as if they were as light as a feather. She could make the pressure, the grief that most of the times could be found arriving hand-in-hand with them, dissipate with a retort that would be dignified, respectful and yet witty.

“Whatever did I do to deserve you?” Kara heard herself asking, for the second time in less than 72 hours, against Cat’s neck.

“Well, you did mention something about having saved a cat. And wasn’t there also a fire somewhere?”

“Wait, I thought you _hated_ cats?” Kara asked as she pulled away slightly so that her curious eyes could study Cat’s.

“Just because I dislike something, it doesn’t mean I want it to suffer.” Cat started, rolling her eyes at Kara’s instinctive disbelief. “I said something, not _someone_. There’s a difference.” She playfully elbowed the grinning woman. “Besides, I never said I particularly disliked cats. I believe I might have simply attempted to convey my passionate hatred towards cat puns.”

Cat raised a questioning eyebrow at the sudden look of hope that had so quickly taken over Kara’s face.

“Does that mean _we_ can adopt a furry one?”

“Have we not spoken about juggling? I seem to recall a rather inspiring speech.”

“ _Urg_ ,” Kara groaned, hiding her face in Cat’s neck once more. “I am having a hard time with that, actually. People keep throwing their own balls at me, it’s very distracting.”

Cat would have laughed at the precious choice of words, but the moment didn’t feel right. Even though Kara was being light about it, Cat knew that deep down inside she was struggling.

“Juggling is one of the things we need to learn how to juggle.” Cat’s voice went solemn for a moment as her mind took her on a quick trip down memory lane. “No one is expecting you to be perfect, even if you do make it sound rather tangible.” Her hand found Kara’s face and she made her look up from what seemed to have become her favorite hiding place. “You shouldn’t either.”

Kara knew that she didn’t need permission _not_ to be perfect, but hearing the words coming from the mouth of someone that she looked up to, someone she respected, someone she loved…. it felt different, it felt like… _acceptance_. Instead of being asked to succeed at something, to save someone else, to conquer the world, or to simply hide, all she had to do was be her flawed self. That was certainly something she could do, especially in the present company.

“No more lighthouses, huh?”

“God, _no_. There’s already more than enough light in my life thanks to you, _Sunny Danvers_.”

“I can’t quite believe you just called me Sunny Danvers… out loud… to my face.” Kara said, shaking her head in amusement. “We truly are going to be just fine.”

“Indeed, we are.” Cat agreed before placing a soft kiss upon Kara’s forehead. And then one on her cheek. And then on the other. And then on the tip of her nose, causing Kara to break into one of those smiles that had the sun wishing for an eclipse while having a full identity crisis. And then on her mouth.

Words had nothing on the language of lips, on the language of tongues that danced together in mouths that held no more secrets, but shared truths.

This would certainly be one of those moments in which time would use its minutes, seconds and hours to create hands as to applaud being taken for what it truly is: irrelevant.

 _Pure bliss_.

“Do you think you could perhaps give me a lift home?” Cat asked against Kara’s lips as they parted. “I can’t wait to get out of these clothes and under the covers.” She added as she nuzzled Kara’s cheek. “You would also be more than welcome to join me, of course.”

“That is a bit forward, don’t you think?” Kara joked, already anticipating the incredulous raise of the eyebrow.

“Are we complaining?”

“The only complaint I have is that we are not there yet. Chop chop, _Miss Grant_. Grab your things and let’s go.”

“Brazen.” Cat whispered on Kara’s ear, biting and gently pulling on her earlobe before standing up. She had just grabbed her purse after putting her blazer on when she felt Kara wrapping her arms around her waist from behind.

“What happens if I get called away again?”

“Mmmh.” Cat allowed her body to melt against Kara’s warmth before giving her an answer. “Carter wants to have a Lord of the Rings marathon next. I am sure Tolkien and I will be able to survive a couple of hours without you.”

“And if the light is off?”

“The door will be unlocked and the bed warm.”

“Is that an open invitation?”

“ _Yes_.”


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One night. One threshold. One date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what to say. I feel rather emotional. I honestly had to make myself stop or else this story would have gone on forever. Better yet, I would have spent forever writing a novel-sized epilogue that would end up not seeing the light of day.
> 
> I am grateful. For every kudo, every comment, every _single_ thing. You have been wonderful to write with. Thank you. So very much.

Does art require an audience to _be_ art?

Does art need to be recognized as such to _be_ art?

 _To be or not to be_ , that is indeed the question on the tip of everyone’s tongue, and for a universally diverse set of reasons. Do you hear the laughter? Shakespeare has at last tasted the blissful side of immortality.

Do our relationships, certainly worth an endless spectrum of color, hue and form, need to be recognized as such to _be_ relationships? Are ‘ _the others_ ’ our, and art’s, validation?

That had been the last thing on Kara Danvers’ mind. At least until the moment she had caught sight of Cat Grant entering the restaurant where she had been _patiently_ waiting for the past hour or so.

An entire month of gladly accepted open invitations had gone by and the date, the date that had started _everything_ , was only just now about to take place. Kara had joked, as she had climbed into Cat’s bed for what seemed like the millionth _first_ time, about the universe being out ‘ _to get them_ ’, to test their will to carry on with this undefined- _ness_ that at the end of the day defined _them_ as a _together_.

Cat would have laughed, and rolled her eyes, if she hadn’t already been half asleep. Instead, she had instinctively moved towards the warmness emanating from Kara’s recently arrived body. Once comfortably settled, she had sighed deeply into Kara’s neck, her head resting on the other woman’s shoulder. _I find incompetence intolerable, but I built my empire on patience_ , she had started, pausing for a yawn. _Let the universe place its bets, Kara. I am not at all worried about my hand_. She had then placed the softest kiss on her jaw – _reassurance_.

Kara had stared at the woman in her arms for the longest time, watching as her chest rose and fell, her breathing rhythm blending with the gentle promise of heavenly dreams. The circumstances had long ago lost the label of new, but they had never quite ceased to surprise Kara by _feeling_ like it. Every day, every _night_ , there was _possibility_ in the air, and it had become _addictive_. Kara was completely oblivious as to what she had done to deserve the life she was living, but she never, not even for one minute, had stopped being grateful.

Cat Grant was a delightfully endless mystery. _Her_ mystery.

Speaking of _mysteries_ , _the_ date had at last come to a _proper_ beginning. They had chosen a restaurant somehow suitable for the two of them, a middle, yet _common_ , ground to avoid any possible ‘ _out of place_ ’ discomfort. They were both secretly aware that they couldn’t care less about _where_ as long as the _with whom_ was assured, yet they had both offered suggestions because, above _all_ else, they wanted to _be_ sure the other felt unconditionally comfortable.

Kara’s eyes were trained on Cat, a smile instantly tugging at the corners of her mouth as she witnessed the automatic, if not truly mechanical, straightening of the backs that had accompanied her entrance. She watched as a poised Cat addressed the woman behind the list that gave expected names to expectant tables. There was a courteous nod in gratitude before she turned in Kara’s direction.

Their eyes met and magic happened.

Cat’s shoulders visibly relaxed as her face broke into one of her private little smiles that always made Kara feel as if there was no one else in the whole wide world. _As if_ there was no one else. Kara gulped nervously. This time they weren’t alone, this time they had an _audience_ , they were surrounded by ‘ _the others_ ’.

One could perhaps say that the whole _date_ idea had been _hers_. She had been the one to call at an ungodly hour, to take the exhaustion-induced first step into an abyss that had then revealed itself to be _the_ place for them to grow. Her step might have propelled the leap, yes, but truth be told the faith had been _theirs_.

It had been both thrilling and terrifying. As they had continued falling, hand in hand, they eventually had found the courage to open their eyes. Instead of searching for clues of the impending arrival of the aching ground, they had gotten lost in each other’s.

At the moment Kara felt the pace of the fall increase rather significantly. This was no longer their _reserved_ little world; there were other inhabitants here, each with their own dreams, hopes, regrets, grudges and… _interests_.

What were their roles in this particular context? Kara didn’t know what the appropriate etiquette was; _they_ had yet to discuss public protocol. How _far_ could they go? How far was _too much_?

Cat _seemed_ unaware of the tempest threatening to burst and take over Kara’s mind. She had gone as far as leaning over to kiss her when she suddenly froze, recognizing the other woman’s quivery lips to be parted out of anxiety and not anticipation.

“Do I want to know?” Cat asked, her eyebrow following the opposite path of her lowered voice tone.

“We are in _public_.” Kara offered as an explanation, readjusting her glasses in her characteristically panicky manner.

“I am aware of that.” Cat replied, keeping her eyebrow in place and further punctuating her silent request for further information by tilting her head slightly and placing her free hand on her hip.

“Is _this_ ,” Kara started, gesturing to the reduced distance that stood _tense_ between them. “Is this _okay_?”

“Are you asking if it is _okay_ for _me_ to stand close, to _kiss_ , the person I have been sharing my life, my _bed_ with, in public?” Cat was yet again attempting to steady Kara by making sure she tasted the intonation of her every word.

“They don’t know _that_.” Kara hissed, glancing sideways even though she was growing acutely aware of how ridiculous the whole thing sounded by the millisecond.

“Do you want them to?” Even though Cat’s tone was still flat, there was now amusement in her eyes.

“What? _No_. Of course not.” Kara countered, immediately regretting the weight she had unconsciously placed upon her chosen words. This was not, this _could not_ be, a sinking ship.

“What would you have me do then?” Cat offered, openly, no sign of any kind of retaliation or victimization. She was _genuinely_ asking.

“I am serious, _Cat_.” Kara seemed to be begging Cat for a solution to a problem that she had yet to voice.

 _Is she embarrassed_ , Cat found herself wondering. _Is there an elephant in the room that I have somehow forgotten to acknowledge_?

“Have you known me to kid?” It was more of a rhetoric question than anything else. Cat adjusted her posture as she took a step back, offering Kara some space whilst getting rid of the purse she had been holding by placing it on the floor by her waiting chair.

Kara’s heart skipped a beat at the distance she had somehow created – not only the physical one, but also the one enveloping Cat’s words. She reached out for Cat’s wrist, stopping the other woman from going any further.

“ _Kara_.” Cat sighed, looking down at their hands before finding Kara’s eyes once more. “Will you please tell me what this is truly about?”

The way Cat had said her name, as if it held the last unknown secret to attaining happiness, infused her with courage.

“Your reputation.” Kara started, accepting Cat’s expression of unblinking disbelief as a ‘ _keep calm and do carry on_ ’. “I don’t want _us_ to be a scandal.” She swallowed the smile the usage of _us_ had prompted. She half-wished she could take it back now that she had said it; she half-wished she could take it back so that she could use it again, for the first time, in a more positive context. “I don’t want to harm you in any way.”

“Harm me?” Cat had to stop herself from dramatically throwing her hands in the air in utter incredulity. “ _Darling_ , if anything you will give the impression that I am somewhat… _approachable_.” Cat sounded resolute, but there was something else tickling the back of her throat and Kara was afraid of what it could be because her doubt had been the one to plant it there. “To be fair, I should be the one enquiring about your wish to be seen with _me_ in public. After all, my bitterness is known to be contagious, if not exceptionally lethal.”

Kara mentally slapped herself as she _felt_ the distance grow. She had had the best of the intentions, but apparently the road to hell was indeed paved with them. She rolled her eyes at the thought and stood up, determinedly tugging at Cat’s hand and erasing the space she had previously created. Not giving Cat time to speculate – because _oh she would_ , if given the chance –, Kara closed the remaining distance between the two of them.

“Enough of that line of thought.” Kara murmured as she parted their lips but not their bodies. Even though she could point precisely _the_ moment when Cat had thrown caution to the wind and had given in completely to the kiss, she was not yet certain that further reassurance wouldn’t be needed.

“Are you sure?” Cat asked, offering Kara yet another considerate way out. Even though it scared Kara just how ready Cat seemed to let go, it also made her fall even more in love with the other woman. She knew that Cat cared; she knew that Cat cared _deeply_ and to the point of putting Kara’s wellbeing first. If Kara ever decided that _this_ , their _relationship_ , was becoming toxic for her, she knew that Cat would drive her home herself, even if it destroyed her.

“I have missed you.” Kara replied, inviting Cat into another kiss by tenderly brushing her lips against hers. Cat accepted more than gladly, bringing a particular _something_ resonating of desire to the equation, instantly setting all the remains of doubt on fire.

“Hi.” Cat said once she pulled away. “I am sorry I am late.” She added as if she had just arrived. “My newest assistant thought it wise to schedule a last-minute meeting without first consulting me on the matter.”

“It was _important_.” Kara smiled at Cat’s inquisitive brow as she pulled the chair for her to sit. “She called to ask if I was okay with waiting. I told her I wouldn’t mind, so I guess that makes me a co-conspirator.”

“Did you consider the possibility that _I_ would not find waiting to be acceptable? I have been looking forward to this for over a month now, Kara. Another minute and I believe I would have fired the entire company if needed be, just so that I could _leave_.” Cat sighed deeply, sitting down and setting the napkin on her lap.

“ _We_ are here now.” Kara said, her hand finding Cat’s over the table as she sat across from her. “We made it.” She hadn’t meant to, but those last three words had come out laced in something resembling astonishment.

“Know that I am deliberately choosing to ignore the faint disbelief in your voice.” Cat intertwined their fingers, studying how perfectly they seemed to fit together, almost as if they had been meant to find each other.

“There was never any shadow of a doubt in your mind?” Kara’s tone sounded both of amusement and genuine curiosity.

“I was rooting for _us_ , Kara.” Cat started as she looked up from their joined hands. “And I never root for the losing team.” Her face had been serious as she had enunciated the words, but soon enough a smile had taken over at the sight of Kara embodying the heart-eyes emoji she insisted on adding to every text and e-mail shared between the two of them.

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.”

J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The light had been on and had led to an invitation that had become an open door to an uncharted world of wonder and bliss.

One night. One threshold. One date.

 _A milestone_.


End file.
